


Shield and Dagger, or Adventures in Loki-sitting

by Lucifuge5



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Timeline (Yes I'm Going There), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Banter, Loki & Wanda Maximoff Friendship, Loki's Sweet Tooth Will Be The Death of Steve, M/M, Magic, Not Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Mid-Credits Scene Compliant, Shapeshifting, Soulbond AU, do not repost to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 08:54:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19390750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucifuge5/pseuds/Lucifuge5
Summary: Thor returns to Earth two years after leaving. One of the first thing he does is ask Steve  for ahugefavor.





	Shield and Dagger, or Adventures in Loki-sitting

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Art - Shield and Dagger or Adventures in Loki Sitting](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19383457) by [Lucifuge5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucifuge5/pseuds/Lucifuge5), [RenneMichaels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenneMichaels/pseuds/RenneMichaels), [RenneMichaelsArt (RenneMichaels)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenneMichaels/pseuds/RenneMichaelsArt). 



> This is set 4 years into the EG!Alternate 2014 Timeline from which Thanos and his crew disappeared at some point between midsummer and autumn. All of the Ragnarok survivors arrived at our Galaxy safe and sound (since Thanos never attacked them in the mid-credit scene). #JustRollWithIt

* * *

Steve woke up when he rolled over, the faint images from a hallucinogenic version of the Battle of New York still swirling in his brain. He tapped his Starkphone while yawning. "Jarvis, time?"

"Zero five hundred, Captain Rogers."

"Thanks," Steve replied, stretching for one brief moment before getting out of bed. Maybe he could do a few sketches of that dream sometime later in the day. It'd be worth it if only to have a doodle of himself holding a pizza instead of his shield.

He scratched his belly in lazy circles as he made his way to the bathroom in near total darkness. One quick morning routine later, and he was ready for his usual pre-dawn run around the neighborhood after pocketing his keys, some cash, and his Starkphone. The morning was ideal for an easy loop, one that'd take him far enough from his waterfront home--a converted warehouse that he bought and renovated after finding too many brownstones that had been redone out of all personality--to break a sweat and get his blood pumping. The cool air, typical of early April, helped him shake off the remaining drowsiness. 

One good thing about the early hour was how few people were around: some heading to work and others coming back from late night revelries. No one gave two shits about him. Dressed in sweatpants, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a dark red baseball cap pulled down low, Steve was just another random white guy running past them. Natasha's how-to's on blending into a crowd had come in handy once again. 

Forty-five minutes later, he was cooling down with a gentle walk, a black and white cookie in hand from Mr. Salim's bodega. (One sugary bite and he was transported to late summer of 1928, pooling his pennies with Bucky's so that they could buy one large cookie and split it. Unlike other baked goods from his childhood, this had remained unchanged even 90 years later; there was a measure of bittersweet comfort in that. 

Sometimes nostalgia was a bitch.)

Today was his last day off before he began his new rotation. 

Taking another bite off the cookie, he considered what he _could_ do (maybe finish up a couple of reports, clean his shield, check his weapons, get his uniform kit ready) vs what he wanted to do (finish that show about the lizard queen who fought zombies, sketch out the dream, and order something from the Vietnamese restaurant five blocks down). He was still weighing the pros and cons when his phone screeched the rock song he'd selected for Tony’s ringtone. He crammed the rest of the cookie in his mouth, took his phone out of his pocket, and swiped the screen. "Yeah?" he mumbled, mouth full of deliciousness.

"Cap, we've got a situation at the Tower." Tony sounded so serious that the hairs on the back of Steve's neck stood up at once.

"Sitrep," Steve said after managing to swallow his snack. He quickened his pace.

"Can't say much right now, but the sooner you get here, the better it’ll be for everyone," Tony replied. A lot of raised voices could be heard in the background.

Luckily, he was less than a block away from home. He walked through the door, kicking off his sneakers, mind already calculating what he needed to do next. "Okay, I'll be there in thirty."

So much for a day off.

* * *

"Good morning, Captain Rogers."

Jarvis' slightly crisp tone washed over Steve as the elevator doors closed. "Morning, Jarvis. Care to tell me what I'm about to walk into?"

"Mr. Odison has returned alongside Dr. Banner and some unauthorized companions," Jarvis replied easily. "Mr. Stark and the rest of the team are trying to address the situation."

"Where's everyone?"

"Conference room on the atrium level, Captain Rogers."

"Okay." Steve rested his right shoulder against the wall, careful to keep his shield from scratching the glass. He stared at the numbers on the panel jump up as the elevator car smoothly made its way to the 28th floor. Nearly three years had passed since Sokovia, Thor claiming he had to go find answers somewhere in space, and Bruce dropping off the radar. Now they were back. Together.

That could mean a number of things; bringing his shield, though excessive, might turn out to be good idea. He opened his mouth, Jarvis' mention of "unauthorized companions" fresh on his mind, when a soft bell indicated he'd arrived at his destination. 

"Best of luck, Captain Rogers," Jarvis said. Steve nodded at the elevator camera on his way out.

* * *

The conference room's glass walls presented a far from reassuring tableau: two groups of people at near equal levels of tenseness.

On the side closest to the door, Clint, Bruce, Tony, Sam, and Maria appeared to be having a heated argument that included a lot of hand gestures. Over at the opposite side, Thor, Natasha, Stephen Strange, Wanda, and a woman dressed in what Steve thought of as Asgardian clothes had a terse but far more restrained conversation.

Seated smack in the middle of the room and quietly sipping coffee was none other than Loki.

Steve let his right hand slide down and back, fingertips grazing the shield's rim as he walked closer to the door. It would be so _easy_ to throw it at Thor's brother the second he made it in. Even in an enclosed space like the conference room.

The brunt of Steve's irritation wasn't lost on Loki for he flicked his gaze over to Steve just when he'd gotten a good grip on the shield. Steve glared back at Loki's calm, _almost pleased_ demeanor. Loki being here was bad news; he understood, at last, why Tony had sounded so agitated over the phone. 

With deep reluctance, Steve let go of his shield and allowed himself a second to inwardly sigh. Maintaining a cooler head was the best way to play this. He pulled his shoulders back and opened the door. While Loki gave him a half-lidded look, everyone else turned around with varying degrees of relief on their faces.

" _Finally!_ What did you do, take a horse a buggy?" Tony rat-a-tatted at him in that occasionally annoying way of he had. Still, his eyes couldn't hide his nervousness at the situation.

"Rode my bike over," Steve said, nodding at Sam before focusing back on Tony. He took off his shield, propping it against the wall next to him. "Horse took the day off. Hello, Bruce."

Bruce, wearing clothes that Steve was sure were Tony's, gave him one of his awkward hugs. "Steve, how-how are you?" 

"Glad to have you back," Steve replied, meaning every word. "Can't wait to hear all about where you've been."

"Most of it is hazy? Hulk stuff, you know. It was a rollercoaster ride." Bruce ran a hand through his hair. "I even had to disguise myself as Tony to stop a crazy dude from pulling me back into a gladiator arena. Good times."

"Ah, I'd been wondering when you'd become a fan of Duran Duran," Tony cut in, squinting at Bruce's t-shirt. "Oh, well, at least you showed them what a great fashionista I am."

Bruce's crooked smile softened the eye roll he gave his friend. "What passed for fashion in Sakaar was--it was extraordinary."

Thor chose that moment to break away from his group and walk over to Steve in three long strides. His dark brown leather cuirass was new (Steve hoped that was red paint and not actual blood) and his shorn hair reminded Steve of the people Sam and Darcy often referred to as 'hipsters'. None of it was nearly as curious as the eye patch over Thor's right eye. "Ah, Steven, there you are! I'd just asked Stark if you were on your way."

"Thor." Steve smiled. "It's been too long." He'd genuinely missed his friend.

"Let us embrace, then." Thor radiated a quiet happiness that Steve yielded to without much difficulty. The faint scent of petrichor Steve always associated with Thor filled his nostrils.

"No hugs for me, Captain? I'm wounded." Loki's sing-song voice broke through Steve's calm. 

He couldn't be sure--Loki had made it clear back in 2012 how much contempt he felt toward humanity--but underneath the cool words, Steve could _almost_ spot a kind of artifice that was less elegant than Steve remembered. It seemed like, though mostly outwardly unchanged (unlike his brother), Loki had had his own misadventures too.

"By Odin's beard, Loki," Thor said from somewhere over Steve's left shoulder. He let go of Steve. "Don't mind my brother. Now that we're here, he's sore we didn't drop him off on Sakaar."

The 'hmph' that followed was quite loud but Loki remained otherwise quiet. That was...different. Based on the few interactions Steve had had with him, Loki enjoyed having the last word. 

Steve smoothed out his frown into a calm expression. "I'm afraid I don't know where that place is. Never been off-planet."

Thor hmmed. "Right. Well, imagine living in a place of chaos, where up is down, and the being in charge is really old and very crazy," he answered like it was no big deal. "Anyway, now that we're all here, let's take a seat and talk."

"Yeah, let's," Clint said, sarcasm dripping from every inch of his body, and sat down the furthest from the Asgardians. Natasha leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Clint looked at her and nodded, his mouth a flat line.

Whether by chance or not, Steve ended up across from Loki. This was a good opportunity as any to give Loki a once over.

Gone were the ornate golden cuffs and muzzle that Thor had conjured from thin air in the aftermath of the Battle of New York. Gone too was Loki's horned helmet--though he had a feeling that item was only a handwave away. He'd seen it appear on Loki's head, like something out of a fairy tale, in the museum footage from seven years ago. What was keeping Loki in check now that there was nothing physically holding him back?

At first, Loki ignored him, twisting in his chair until Steve could only see half of his face. He started a conversation with the Asgardian woman in a language that Steve didn't know. A moment later, the corner of Loki's mouth curled up as he gave Steve a sideways glance, the gleam in his blue eyes almost daring him to say something, anything.

Before Steve could blurt out a single word, Sam tapped him on the shoulder, making him look away.

"Hey, I know it sucks to be here on your last day off," Sam said sotto voce. "But you've always said 'duty is duty'…"

"Calling me in was a good idea," Steve replied in the same tone. "Saved me from having to finish some reports."

"Dude, stop pretending you weren't about to sit down and finish the Lizard Queen series." Sam shook his head. 

"You're the one who got me hooked on it."

"Oh no, you're not going to go around blaming me for being a sci-fi nerd." Sam whispered back. "That started way before my time."

"Guess the history books forgot to mention that, huh?," Steve said in mock seriousness. All the chatter died down. He cleared his throat. "Okay, Thor, you're up. What's going on?"

"Ragnarok, the end of days, happened," Thor began. 

Natasha leaned forward. "End of days as in _the_ Apocalypse?" 

"It was. For my realm at least. I hate prophecies." Thor gave them a bitter smile. "Yggdrasil's existence depends on Asgard finding a stable place. No physical plane for Asgard means Yggdrasil's roots might begin to wither and throw the universe into irreparable chaos."

That name…Steve poked at the memory: he'd seen mentions of Yggdrasil in a report sometime after forming the Howling Commandos. It'd been connected to the Tessaract. Fuck, he was _not_ in the mood for history to repeat a-fucking-gain. "Yggdrasil. Is that the Viking tree?"

"It's everyone's tree. Also, a way to connect all the realms," Thor answered, narrowing his eyes as if Steve had said something ridiculous. "What's left of Asgard--"

"Didn't you just say that Asgard is gone?" Maria's directness reassured Steve that he wasn't the only one trying to catch up.

A thin line appeared between Thor's brows and then went away. "What's left of Asgard is aboard _The Statesman_. A little under a thousand souls."

"That's the spaceship currently orbiting Earth, right?" Tony said, tapping a metal bracelet on his left wrist. An image of a massive ship floating in space appeared on a holographic screen. "This is from Jarvis' feed from an hour ago. That's when you deactivated your stealth mode, huh?"

Thor stared at the image with a mixture of longing and hope. He nodded. "We set a course for Earth. Now that we're here, some of the survivors have chosen to settle on Vanaheim as that realm is familiar to most Asgardians. A second group has decided to find a new home here in Midgard. We have begun diplomatic communications with the Northenlands--"

"It's the Netherlands, Your Majesty," the Asgardian woman cut in gently.

Thor smiled at her. "Ah, yes, Val. Thank you. We are in contact with the Netherlands as that is the one sector that's the most agreeable to Asgardian settlers. I have been...reminded," he said as he raised his eyebrows at Bruce, "that my brother might be an obstacle to establishing New Asgard here."

Sitting at the opposite end, Tony snorted. "So what's the reason you can't you take your mind-controlling, failed planetary conqueror of a brother with you to Van-whatever?"

" _Tony_." It wasn't as if Steve hadn't been wondering the same thing. This wasn't the time for snark, though.

"What?" Tony said, eyes widening in disbelief. "I'm just saying what everyone's thinking, Cap. Or are you forgetting the trail of destruction that Thor's little bro left behind?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve caught a bit of movement from the Asgardian woman that prompted him to speak up and try to diffuse whatever mess was about to happen. "I haven't, Tony. Thor's a friend, so we gotta hear him out and help, if we can."

Tony huffed. "Go on, Point Break."

"That's a valid question, Stark." Thor clasped his hands and leaned forward, his one eye fixed on Tony. "As king of Asgard, I must escort my people to Vanaheim and help them settle over there. On the way back, I need to go to Nidavellir and ask the dwarves to create a new weapon for me. Altogether, it's going to be a long journey. Asgardian protocol dictates that a member of the royal house must remain behind to anoint New Asgard's connection to Yggdrasil here. And my brother is the only one left."

"I _appreciate_ that you are telling us all of this," Natasha said in that excessively polite way that could mean trouble. "But you do understand we can't ignore what your brother did here, right?"

Steve darted a look at Loki, expecting a quip that never came. Instead, Loki calmly poured himself more coffee followed by a lot of sugar. He only returned Steve's gaze after he was done stirring his cup.

"We haven't forgotten, Natasha," Thor said a few seconds later. "Which is why, as a precaution, we contacted Midgard's wizard once we reached this galaxy."

"As I've told Thor before," Strange spoke, gloved hands on the table, "Loki is still considered a threat to this world. Protecting the Earth is my duty, so I'm not about to 'forgive and forget' either, Miss Romanoff."

Loki rolled his eyes and, somewhat to Steve's dread, he kinda wished he could've done the same.

"Magic," Tony said sarcastically. "Of course."

"Some time after Thor reached out to me," Strange continued, "The most powerful of Asgard's witches and myself consulted the texts and found a solution of sorts. It'll demand a lot from the person who agrees to it. However, it should alleviate some of the worries."

"Yeah, see, that there? That's a little too cryptic for my taste." Tony pointed at Strange. "Next thing _we_ know, you're gonna say one of us has to go dive into the heart of a volcano or something just as ridiculous. God, I hate magic."

Clint gave Tony a quiet fistbump.

Strange, to his credit, remained calm. "The task won't be as arduous as that, Stark. Though I'm sure we can amend it if necessary."

Maria put up a hand. "How about we hear less esoteric talk and more about the actual plan?" 

"It involves Loki and Captain Rogers," Strange said after exchanging a look with Thor. "They must be united."

That was the most disturbing thing Steve had heard and it wasn't even noon. He would probably end up trying to strangle Loki before the week was over and vice versa. The only worse thing Steve could think of would've been Strange suggesting Clint or Tony instead of him. "Come again?"

Strange steepled his fingers, his voice resonating in the conference room. "It's less drastic that it sounds, I promise. There's an ancient ritual called the _hjertebindning_. In English it translates to something like 'bond of the heart'. Your essences will be temporarily merged."

"That right there is a terrible idea." Sam shook his head.

"Actually, it isn't," Strange said coolly. "Both Captain Rogers and Loki will retain their free will. The bond is far less restrictive to Captain Rogers--"

"Easy for your to say. You're not the one getting bonded, married or whatever to the likes of him!" Steve jerked his head in the direction of Loki. The more he heard about this bond, the more ridiculous the whole thing sounded.

"Why you wound me, Captain," Loki said, right hand on his chest and eyes glinting in a way that made Steve's everything go on high alert. "There are so many who would want to have the honour--"

"Of what?" Tony cut in, "getting together with someone who almost destroyed my city? Yeah, right, who wouldn't want to be a part of _that_?"

If Tony's intention had been to insult Loki, Steve considered as everyone else remained quiet, he'd missed the mark by many miles.

"Jealous?" And there it was: Loki's haughty self unfurling like the sharpest of claws.

Tony shared a rather nasty look with Clint before addressing Loki. "Ha, as if I would be! You can't--"

"Enough." Steve kept his eyes fixed on Tony. He was not in the mood to sit through Tony and Loki trying to out-sass each other. Especially when they still had to address this whole 'essence union' thing.

Tony leaned back on his seat, visibly biting back whatever he'd thought of saying. He joined Clint and Natasha in quietly glaring at Loki.

Steve glanced at Loki, who was doing his best impression of someone who couldn't give two shits about being in the room. He scratched his chin, trying to find a good angle from which to approach this. One false step and Earth might find itself having to be defended from aliens. Again. "Thor, what you're asking is--is too much."

"Friend, I wouldn't ask for this favor if the existence of the entire universe didn't depend on it," Thor said, sounding almost as tired by all the talking as Steve did.

"I want to understand," Steve exhaled. "I really, really do. But, past, um, issues aside, I don't get why _I_ am the one who'd have to get bonded to your brother."

Tony sat up, waving a hand in Steve's direction. "And yes, why him? Obviously, I wouldn't dream of volunteering. Why is Steve the one getting the final rose?"

"I know not of what 'final rose' you speak, Stark," Thor said, somewhat puzzled. "All I can say is that the Norns were consulted. They made it clear that there's a kind of, erm, affinity between Steven and Loki. The bond requires someone who is strong in body, mind, and--"

"Wait a minute." Steve put his hands up. None of what Thor had said was making sense. " _Affinity_? Are you serious? Me and your brother have been at each other's throats since Stuttgart! Whoever these 'norns' are, Thor, they are really wrong."

Loki's grin widened as he played with the coffee cup in front of him. When he looked up, his gaze reminded Steve of a cat about to pounce unsuspecting prey. "He means that out of all of my brother's Midgard companions, I gravitate to your shape when I want to antagonize him. This was interpreted as a sign. The Norns do occasionally have a great sense of humour." A green-gold flash followed Loki's words.

"Now that's the freakiest thing I've seen today," Sam said as he and the rest of the room stared at a Loki who had shapeshifted into an exact copy of Steve.

"Brother," Thor said, the implied 'stop it' very clear.

This was only the second time Steve had seen Loki do this and it was still unsettling as hell. He observed the Loki-Steve in front of him, pushing down the irritation when Loki mimicked the annoyed expression Steve was probably making as he inspected this copy. Rather than hide it, Loki preened at Steve's reaction. Which, in turn, made the whole thing even creepier. Nothing like seeing himself with a slight dangerous twinkle in his eyes.

"Loki, stop showing off," Thor said, irritably.

"For you," Loki said without acknowledging him. He sighed and, in another flash, turned back into himself.

"Thank you." The smile Thor gave his brother was equal parts affection and annoyance. "The _hjertebindning_ works on two levels. First, as a diplomatic act of good faith. It unites a Prince of Asgard with one of Midgard's fiercest warriors. There is also hope within Asgard that Loki will find a measure of peace while spending time with Steven."

"Is this the same 'Steven' who will run headfirst into a fire?" Natasha said after an uncomfortable silence.

Out of nowhere, Sam decided to add his two cents. "And the same 'Steven' who can't help throwing down if he meets a bully? Even if they're the size of a skyscraper?"

"What that time he almost got into fisticuffs with Secretary Ross for trying to launch the Accords?" Clint sucked his teeth. "Steve's as peaceful as that angry crab gif. The one holding the knife."

Loki, much to Steve's chagrin, perked up. "I had no idea that the Captain was such a fiery individual. This is going to be _so_ entertaining."

The day couldn't get any weirder, Steve thought. He turned to Thor. "You said this 'bond' works on two levels. That's the political. What's the practical?"

"The _hjeretbindning_ will ensure I won't "misbehave"." The accompanying slow eye roll spelled out what Loki thought about that consequence of the bond.

Wanda's mouth twisted in disgust. "You'll be controlled?"

"In a manner of speaking." Loki waved his hand like he was talking about something trivial. "The good captain's benevolent nature is supposed to allay my darker impulses. In return, I will protect him. It's far less cruel than it might sound to Midgardians."

"Right, like you're not gonna throw a mind control spell at him the second our backs are turned," Clint spat out. "Wait. What am I talking about? You'll do it as soon as the bond thing is complete."

"I'll advise you, Barton, to watch how you speak to my brother," Thor said. The lights on the ceiling flickered.

Clint huffed. The next time he spoke, his voice lacked all friendliness. "And I'll remind you that you can't waltz back in here pretending that 2012 never happened! This whole thing is bullshit." 

"Clint--" Natasha tried to put a hand on Clint's forearm but was quickly rebuffed.

"No, Tasha. Remember what it took to bring me back after being undone. The only reason why I'm staying put is so that I can laugh in Loki's face when Cap shoots him down." Clint's smile was all sharp edges and scorn. 

Steve fought the urge to get up, pick up his shield, and walk away from the whole thing. This meeting was turning into a bigger mess by the minute. 

"Captain Rogers has little to fear," Strange said, still unruffled by Clint's words. "The bond will protect him from Loki's magic as well as from his influence. Other safeguards will be set in place to prevent--"

"Yeah, I think we're gonna need more reassurance than that, doctor." Natasha quirked an eyebrow at him. "You gotta give us something else because magic is something we can't prepare against."

The room erupted with people discussing the pros and cons of the plan.

Steve sat back, twisting his mouth as he listened to all of the different arguments. He turned toward Thor who tilted his head in the direction of the room next door. "Be right back."

* * *

Glad to have left the commotion behind, Steve leaned on the table, stretching his legs as he waited on Thor to talk. When it was clear Thor wasn't going to get the ball rolling, Steve made up his mind and gave him a push. "What you're asking. I dunno. It's--"

"I know, it's too large a burden," Thor replied, a kind of resignation underlining his words. "After it was first suggested, Loki and I had a long argument on the likelihood of you accepting this bond. He warned me to prepare for rejection. I told him that he was giving up on hope way too quickly."

Something in Thor's words touched Steve's heart. He recognized the depth of love and loyalty Thor felt for his often traitorous brother. It was similar to his own protectiveness toward Bucky. He'd even brought down the very agency he worked for once it was clear they were hurting his friend. How was that different from what Thor was trying to do? "Tell me, what will you do if I say no?"

"Frankly, I don't know." Thor scratched his head. "So much has happened...the list of Asgard's allies is shorter than ever. My one hope is that you'd see this as a way of Loki making amends for destroying your city all those years ago."

"That's a tough sell, Thor," Steve admitted. "Other than Wanda and Strange, we don't know much about magic and Loki's last appearance on Earth left us with a lot of wreckage. Also, how sure are you that Loki's willing to go with this plan?"

"You might think me delusional. Many have told me so before." The corners of Thor's mouth turned down for a second."However, I believe you might find a great ally in Loki while he's by your side."

Steve coughed. " _Really_?"

"Really."

"You're not exaggerating even a little bit?"

"Not even a smidgen," Thor said. He rubbed the edge of his eyepatch. "Loki will always be Loki. Mischief and magic are the two constants in his life. But he's mellowed out too."

"Define 'mellowed out'," Steve said. The last thing he wanted to do was to assume anything related to Asgardian culture.

"He's less prone to stab me?"

"That's far from reassuring." Steve crossed his arms and looked at Thor in the eye. "You just said it yourself: Loki is mischief personified."

"One day I'll tell you the story of the snake. Or you can ask Val." Thor waved his hands. "My point is that, regardless of Loki's inclinations toward chaos, he is also a survivor."

"Uh huh," Steve said, brows drawing together, "Wouldn't it be easier to block Loki's magic altogether? That way he can stay here and we won't have to worry about potential magical mishaps."

Thor's gaze went to the floor. "Much as it pains me to admit it, I did consider doing something like that. Got as far as discussing it with one of witches one night. The problem is that Loki's magic is part of his lifeforce. If he was to be cut off from it--well."

Loki's words about the bond being the less brutal option echoed in Steve's mind. "And that's when the whole idea of the bond came to be?"

"Yes," Thor said, way more animated than a few moments before, "Matthildur, she's the Asgardian witch I met with, remembered the _hjertebindning_. My brother was a lot more amenable to that option."

Steve nodded. "Makes sense to me."

"He is my younger brother, I can't help but look after him." Thor shrugged, then continued. "The bond isn't a permanent one and there will be limitations to what he can and cannot do--"

"Such as?"

"Like your sorcerer said, he can't harm you physically or by magical means. He will be near you at all times and he won't be able to hide from you."

All those things sounded fine to Steve. The problem was that he wasn't going to be the only one who'd have to deal with Loki for the foreseeable future, though. "So what would happen if, let's say hypothetically, your brother managed to wiggle his way out of the bond and decided to throw himself a party? You'll be who knows where and we'd be stuck trying to fix something we could've prevented."

"There's a clause in the spell that no one, not even Loki himself, can go around. If Loki so much as attempts to break the bond, he'll be immediately sent to the Void where he'll spend eternity being ripped apart after forfeiting his soul and his magic."

"That's a lot."

"It is." Thor rubbed the back of his neck. "A year or so before he first came here, Loki fell into the Void after trying to usurp the throne. He didn't escape but was found by a being that was powerful enough to pull him out of it."

"That's exactly my point: he did it once and he'll do it again." Steve chewed on his bottom lip.

"No, the spellcraft woven into the bond supersedes anything and everyone. No matter what else you think, trust the fact that the last thing my brother would ever want would be to return to the Void forever."

"You're asking the rest of us to risk a lot on faith," Steve said at last, uncrossing his arms.

"So you'll agree to this?"

Steve made a so-so gesture. "I gotta talk to the team first."

Thor nodded, a hopeful sparkle in his eye.

* * *

By the time they'd returned to the conference room, Val was sitting on the table chatting with Loki, one hand casually on the hilt of the dagger strapped to her left thigh. Steve inclined his head at her, ignored Loki, and walked up to Sam and the others.

"Had a nice chit chat?" Sam gave him one of his patented "You're nothing but trouble, Rogers" looks.

"Kinda, yeah," Steve replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. He was sure of what he wanted to do. God knew if everyone else would be okay with his decision.

Sam squinted at him. "Thor campaigned for Loki."

Steve nodded.

"And he convinced you?" Natasha raised one eyebrow.

"I told him I wanted to discuss it with you guys." Steve looked over his shoulder at the other end of the room. Thor and Val talked in hushed tones as Loki scoffed at something one of them had said.

Meanwhile, Strange was cross legged and floating in a corner, meditating or whatever it was sorcerers did. Maria stood outside the conference room, phone in one ear as she swiped her Starktablet. She was probably updating Fury.

"Well, if we're putting it to a vote," Clint said, leaning hard against his seat, "then mine's gonna be a 'hell no'. Everything about this is a red flag."

"Clint is right," Tony said to the surprise of no one. He rocked on his chair, his face growing more and more serious. "Bonding you, _you_ , Rogers, to Loki is like carrying a bottle of nitroglycerine in your back pocket while playing rugby. Thor should've come up with better plan if he wanted to keep his little bro safe."

"It makes sense to me," Bruce says quietly.

Gauging by everyone's faces, it was obvious that Steve wasn't the only one stunned to see Banner go to bat for Loki.

Tony made a disgusted face. "Et tu, Brucey?"

"We fought side by side during Asgard's last battle. He helped in the escape efforts before the planet _exploded_. I'm not gonna throw a parade in his honor, but--"

"But what? You're ready for Thor's little scamp of a brother to spend time with Steve? Don't make me question naming you a science bro!"

Bruce shook his head. "I'm not saying I trust him the way I do all of you. However, had it not been for him, Thor, Val or I wouldn't have made it out of the Devil's Anus on the Grandmaster's orgy ship."

Steve's eyebrows were practically reaching the ceiling. "Uh."

" _The what?_ ," Tony said, clasping one of Bruce's shoulders as he chuckled. "What the hell kind of space adventures did you have?"

"The Anus--the Devil's Anus is a portal, Tony. An Einstein-Rosen Bridge," Bruce sighed, perhaps finally realizing how crazy his words were.

"Is it called that because, you know...?" Clint wiggled his eyebrows.

"I don't know," Bruce replied. "I was on Sakaar for two years _as the Hulk_. He didn't ask questions."

"Well, I hope you practiced safe sex." Tony winked at Bruce. "So, kinky outings aside, that's two nos and one yes."

Someone had started up a jackhammer inside Steve's head. Great, that's just what he needed. "Wanda? Thoughts?"

"I don't know him, only his brother," she said while looking at her hands, "And I know you, Steve. Two years ago, I learned the value of second chances. Maybe this is Loki's second chance."

Natasha's laugh was bitter. "You have no idea what he did. As a matter of fact, if you want to know, just look out the window. Or take a walk outside. Even now there are reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the Chitauri attack. A space army that was _led_ by Loki." She shook her head, then turned to Steve. "I know you want to do the right thing because that's who you are but this not it."

Much as he appreciated Wanda's optimism, Steve couldn't deny that a part of him agreed with Natasha. And yet. "Sam?"

"It's cute that you're asking as if you haven't already decided to get bonded to a shapeshifting alien. My life has become 200% weirder since I met you, Rogers." Sam glanced at the Asgardians then back at Steve. "Let me make it official: I'm voting yes on your ass getting magic married to Thor's brother. If only so Bucky can come over from Wakanda to kick your ass."

"Thanks, Sam," Steve said. _I owe you one_ , he thought. Things would've been more difficult without his support.

"Hope you enjoy that knife in the back when he betrays you, Cap," Clint said before pushing his chair away and practically stomping out of the room.

Steve looked at Natasha.

"Even you aren't _this much_ of a good guy, Steve," she said, nothing but worry in her eyes. "How do you even know this isn't going to blow up in your face?"

"Thor told me what would happen to Loki if he broke the bond. Going against any part of this would be suicide. Even for him. God, demigod or whatever he is."

"He might still try to weasel out of any consequences," Natasha said, frowning at no one in particular. "I know I would if I found myself in a spot this tight."

Tony covered eyes for a moment, eventually peeking at Steve through his fingers. "The only one winning a Kewpie doll in the end is Loki. You do see that, right?" 

"Why? Because he's not sitting in a cell in the basement?" Steve said as he braced himself for Tony's retort.

"Jesus, you are a stubborn fuck!" Tony jumped to his feet, all clenched fists and narrow eyes. "This isn't like taking care of a kitten or making sure Thor's houseplants get watered while he gallivants across the universe. Loki _will_ flip."

This wasn't the first time someone brought up Steve's bullheadedness and it probably wasn't going to be last. He stared at the world outside, focusing on the construction cranes and scaffolding scattered throughout Manhattan. He was still trying to come up with an answer that would ease Tony's anxiety, when Natasha placed a gentle hand on his upper arm.

"Promise me that, no matter what, you're gonna watch yourself."

Her conciliatory gesture eased some of the pressure off Steve's shoulders. "I promise," he said, and gave Natasha a small, lopsided smile. 

"Strange mentioned some kind of 'safeguards'." Sam tilted his head, eyebrows raised at Steve. "Any idea what they are? Maybe those of us who didn't go to Hogwarts can be better prepared to deal with this."

"Tweety Bird has a great point," Tony interjected, pacing as he ignored Sam's reaction to the bad nickname. "Countermeasures are a must. People whose name rhymes with Feef Sorgers tend to attract trouble by the bucketful."

The first jackhammer in Steve's head was joined by a second one. He wished he could simply move into the Tower with Loki so that everyone could let him be. "I've already said I'm gonna do it, Tony, and magic or no, I'm sure I can keep Loki in check."

"Apple pie looks and your shield aren't a match against whatever Loki might come up with," Natasha said, leaning against the wall. "Not to mention that both of you staying over at your place in Brooklyn is a stupidly huge security risk."

"Seconded," Bruce said after staring at Steve for a bit. "Anything can happen and we might not be able to get to you in time." He frowned at Wanda's hurt look. "I voted _for_ Steve to bond with Loki. But I've also lived aboard a spaceship with him for the past five months. Just because he might not be in conquering mode doesn't mean he's a pussycat all of the sudden."

"Thirded and I've come up with the easiest solution," Tony said, raising his index finger. He scrunched up his face at whatever he was thinking about. "Oh my god, Pepper is gonna kill me, but nothing ventured and all that. So, since you've decided to get astral married or whatever to the Horny One, the safest place for you and your stab-happy bonded is here in the Tower."

"I was about to suggest the same thing," Steve said, standing a bit straighter. 

"You were?" Bruce took off his glasses and wiped them clean.

"Yeah, kind of," Steve admitted. "This way, if anything goes wrong, we can contain the damage to this building."

"Unless Loki melts it," Natasha said with a look on her face that spoke of alternate plans.

"Or worse," Steve added, ever the optimist.

* * *

One more hour of talks--including a step by step discussion of how the ritual would go--followed. The more Steve heard about the whole thing, the bigger his apprehension got. It was just like that night in Camp Lehigh, 70 years ago. "So when can the 'bonding' happen?"

"Whenever both of you are ready," Matthildur explained, having showed up sometime during Steve's conversation with his team. She was a short, curvaceous woman with rich brown skin. Unlike the armor-like clothing Loki, Thor, and Val sported, Matthildur wore a dark gold robe. Her warm amber eyes flickered between Steve and Loki. "The Norns indicated that it'd be good for both parties to spend a short time apart preparing for what's to come."

"Excellent idea. I want to make sure my room is to my liking," Loki said, standing up in a graceful way. "If I leave it to the Captain and his cohorts, I'll be sleeping on a cot. Or worse."

"Maybe we can have a goodbye dinner too, brother." Thor's voice was a little wistful. "We can do the _hjertebindning_ at first light."

"Best way to start the day," Tony said. He put an arm around Bruce. "Come on, we can hang out at my lab and you call tell me all about the orgies and that satanic anus thing."

Bruce rubbed his eyes. "Don't make me regret coming back, Tony."

" _I_ was talking about astrophysics, Dr. Banner." Tony pulled Bruce out of his chair and the two of them left the room arguing in what Steve thought of as 'science-speak.'

"I'm gonna check on Clint." Natasha flashed a quick smile at Steve as she walked out the room. 

"Hey, wait up," Wanda said, waving goodbye before she ran after Natasha.

Sam bumped Steve's left shoulder. "So what now? Other than possibly reconsidering your choice to help a friend?"

The enormity of what Steve was signing up for pressed down on him from all sides. "No, nothing like that. About the one thing I'm thinking about is how much of a pain packing my bags is going to be."

"You're such a shitty liar, Rogers," Sam looked at the ceiling and sighed. "Come on, I'll help you with moving."

Steve picked up his shield. "What's your hurry?"

"If we get going now, we can be done within an hour, maybe two."

If Steve had just met Sam, he would've believed the innocent expression his best friend was currently giving him. Sam could be a great spy. "Uh-huh. I wonder where was this eagerness when I asked you to help me move out of D.C."

"Like I was going to willingly step inside an apartment where the walls had bullet holes," Sam sassed back as both of them walked out of the now-empty conference room.

* * *

Returning to the Brooklyn apartment threw Steve for an unexpected loop. After packing everything he felt he needed for the next few months, all he had to show for it were two medium-sized boxes and a large duffel bag. He took in the rest of his place and how impersonal it felt even now. Which was a sad thing to consider. 

"Earth to Steve? Come in, Steve," Sam waved a hand in front of Steve's face.

Steve blinked. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I was thinking."

"Yeah, you were." Sam squinted at him. "What's got you pondering the mysteries of life all of the sudden?"

Steve ducked his head. Now wasn't the time to take a deep dive into why was he was feeling blue. "Just thinking about what makes a home feel cozy, that's all."

"Wow, it's a good thing you can't get drunk. Because you're about half a second from getting maudlin." Sam shook his head. "How about you take those boxes to the car, I'll carry your duffel, and then we have some dinner?"

Just then, Steve's stomach grumbled. He pushed the sudden moodiness away the best he could. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

The trip back to the tower was a short one. Steve and Sam dropped Steve's things at his apartment. When Sam went to the bathroom, Steve used the opportunity to make sure the guest room was clean and ready. With nearly everyone in the team having either their own apartment (or an actual entire floor), other than Bucky, almost no one had slept over at Steve's Avenger HQ apartment in a long time.

Although expected, it was still a shock to find a large metal chest with odd symbols carved on top placed at the end of the king-size guest bed. The simple, light peach bedspread had been replaced with a more luxurious one in midnight blue with a pattern of stars. Over on the nightstand, a pitcher and tumbler set in what looked like gold ( _probably was gold_ , Steve thought) rested next to several large, old-looking books and an opulent hairbrush and comb made of silver.

A low whistle snapped Steve out of his observations. 

"So Loki really _is_ space royalty, huh?" Sam asked as he stared at the display. 

"Apparently." Suddenly feeling like they were intruding, Steve elbowed Sam. "How about some chow? If I wait any longer, I'll end up gnawing my arm off."

"You're just as bad as a newborn baby," Sam said, clapped Steve's shoulder and led them out the door.

Almost two hours later and a couple of plates of some lasagna in their bellies, Sam mock-saluted Steve and called it a night.

"Say hello to Bucky for me before you get down to the dirty business," Steve told Sam's retreating back. 

He picked up their plates and weighed his options on what to do next. Sleep was not going to happen; a low buzz of excitement and trepidation was keeping any hint of drowsiness away. Gym time could only be stretched so far. Nothing sounded appealing enough to wile away the hours until the morning. Maybe it was time to tackle those pending reports he'd postponed earlier in the day. 

One moment, Steve was doing a final revision on the last report before sending it to Maria. The next, Jarvis was announcing the return of the Asgardian delegation. Which gave him just about enough time to take a quick shower and ride the elevator to the rooftop garden.

* * *

The light blue plaid shirt and tan chinos were no match for the slight chill of an early morning. Steve considered going back downstairs for his hoodie but it was better to get this whole thing over with.

Loki stood next to Matthildur, a bored expression on his face like none of this had anything to do with him. The vivid blue of Loki's leather uniform made the warm yellow lining of his cape stand out even more. In contrast, Thor had changed into jeans and a hoodie. He chatted Loki up with barely contained-excitement.

The rest of the team, in various stages of sleepwear (or, in Tony's case, yesterday's clothes) and light sweaters, began to trickle in.

"It's time," Strange said after appearing from somewhere behind Steve. He strode over to where Matthildur was and made a 'come over' gesture at Steve.

Just as instructed, Steve and Loki stood facing each other, their hands--right palm flipped down, left turned palm up--almost but not quite touching. There was nothing else to do but to stare at each other as Matthildur and Strange conjured arcane designs in the air. 

An odd sensation, similar to an electric current only not painful, began to roll from the top of Steve's head down to his toes. He wanted to squirm the longer they looked into each other's eyes (god, how long was this going to go on for?). 

Loki seemed to be struggling with standing still as well. Nostrils flaring a little, his gaze bore into Steve's, unblinking. The air was filled with a citrus-like scent that Steve realized came from Loki. This was the first time he'd ever noticed it; he took a deep breath.

The world bent sideways for a second that was also an eternity, then righted itself the next. 

When it was over and they were able to separate at last, Steve couldn't help noticing the twin splotches of pink on Loki's cheeks. The warmth on his face was a pretty good indication he was blushing too. 

Loki pulled at the top of his jacket as if it was too tight all of the sudden. He gave Steve a sideways glance and opened his mouth. Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by Matthildur approaching him.

"May I, Your Highness?"

A quick nod from Loki and Matthildur stepped closer.

"Do you feel any different?" Strange peered into Steve's eyes while Matthildur did a similar thing to Loki.

"No, not really," Steve answered. There was a curious pressure somewhere near his heart, but that could be adrenaline or just a sign of his body craving some coffee.

"Really?" Wanda got closer to him and waved her right hand--glowing red--in Steve's direction. "I'm not sure what happened, only that _something_ did. You were here, then gone, and now you're back but changed."

Thor walked up to Loki when Matthildur finished her examination. He stopped when he was a foot or so away. "Brother?"

"It worked." Loki shrugged lazily. Off to the side, Matthildur and Strange had a private conversation.

"It didn't." Steve said, mildly annoyed. All that worrying and talking for nothing.

"If that's so, Captain, perhaps you might want to look over there." Loki pointed at the nearest window. HIs voice had become slightly distorted. Like he was using a walkie-talkie.

"Uh, yeah, Steve, I'm sure it worked," Natasha said in a nonchalant tone.

Steve turned his head and saw, once again, two Steves standing next to each other. He glanced at Loki--who pursed his lips at him--and then back to their joint reflection on the glass. "Huh."

Natasha leaned in. "He looks--"

"The same," Steve answered promptly. "To me. He's the same. That is, until I look at the reflection. My mind...it-it wants to 'fix' what I see on the window with the truth."

"Told you," Loki sniffed. His voice was back to normal. He had changed back into himself.

"It's now confirmed that Loki's illusions won't work on Steve," Bruce said, thoughtful.

"Yes," Wanda said, squinting at Steve and Loki, "they do work on the rest of us, though."

"Funny thing about that," Tony said, picking up his phone and moving to a corner. "Yeah, Pepper? Soon. Yes, yes. I promise..."

Thor exhaled with obvious relief. "Now that you're bonded, I can depart for Vanaheim with less worry."

"Don't get killed on the way there or back, brother" Loki said, haughtily. "The bond's not meant to be permanent and your dying would make it so."

"I promise you I'll try to keep on breathing." He opened up his arms and hugged Loki. "May this time together bring you happiness."

What was supposed to be a tender moment between siblings turned comedic by Loki's apparent reluctance at returning Thor's hug. The tenseness in Loki's posture made Steve think of a temperamental cat, one that secretly liked getting petted. 

Sam pulled Steve to the side. "So now it's done. Any regrets?"

At first, Steve could only answer with a half-shrug. Sam held Steve's gaze long enough to prompt him to give him an actual reply. It's not as if Sam could read his mind. "There are a few. But I think that we've done all we could to keep this from becoming a catastrophe."

"Steve, you just like living on the edge, don't you?"

"So I hear every day..."

* * *

"Make sure to drink plenty of fluids over the next week. Preferably nothing with alcohol. Doing that might leave you with permanent polka-dots all over your body," Strange said as he made a hand gesture at the space next to him until a portal began to form. "I'll check back with you later in the month. You know where to find me if you need me before then."

"Thanks?" Steve blinked, not sure if Strange was serious about the polka dots or not. He'd stick to coffee and water just to be on the safe side. 

Tony pocketed his phone. "See? That's why magic is the pits. You might get polka-dotted, pffft!" He screwed up his face. "Anyway, so far so good, right? No urges to yell "abracadabra", shapeshift or don a ridiculous cape like that little scamp over there?"

"Not yet," Steve replied, stamping out the urge to check in with Loki. There would be plenty of time to do that later. He considered saying something about the lightheadedness he was starting to feel. Weird magical ritual aftereffect or a simple lack of sleep? It was a coin toss really.

A couple of feet away, Matthildur spoke with Loki in the same language Loki had used with Val in the conference room. The cadence in Loki's replies pulled at Steve until he gave into the urge to look at the small group. 

"I shall consecrate the area during the Hearth Moon, yes. Given the distance and Midgard's primitive transportation, however, a fortnight would give me ample time to get ready," Loki said all casual-like after Matthildur asked him something in a somber tone. Thor stood straighter then, chest puffing up like he was proud by whatever Loki was referring to.

"Well, you still being yourself is good enough for me. Glad to see that your Star-Spangled goodness hasn't been compromised," Tony went on, totally oblivious to what was happening to the side. It was also possible, Steve considered, that Tony was ignoring anything Loki-related on purpose. Tony's phone chirped twice. "And now I gotta go. Pepper and I have a breakfast date and she's threatened to eat all the eclairs if I don't make it to our living room in, oh, nine minutes. Ciao."

Thor and Loki waited until Matthildur had left to say their goodbyes. They touched foreheads, eyes closed, one of Thor's hands placed on Loki's nape. The sun's first rays bounced on the dark metal parts of Thor's armor, the glare making Steve look away before resuming his staring. When they pulled apart, Loki made a stabbing motion at his brother's stomach and Thor's eyes glittered with unshed tears. Asgardians were fucking weird.

"I have to, um, go back with Thor to retrieve some things from _the Statesman_." Bruce pushed his glasses up his nose.

"But I thought you'd packed light," Natasha interrupted.

"Uh, yeah, I did. Sorta." A mild flush appeared on his face. "It's just that there's also some information before Asgard gets split up and I--I want to make sure..."

Steve faked a cough. Seeing Bruce trying to tiptoe around whatever it was he was trying to tiptoe around was pretty excruciating to watch. "Go on."

Bruce flashed a smile, then turned toward a small spaceship. "Hey, Val, wait for me!"

Natasha hmmed as both of them watched Bruce stammer his way through a conversation with Val. "Must have been a hell of an adventure," she said.

"Yup," Steve mumbled. He rolled his shoulders in an attempt to keep the incoming tiredness at arms' length. By the time Thor, Val, Bruce, and Matthildur departed, he was close to free-falling into an adrenaline crash. Given the chance, he'd be happy to sleep for another 70 years.

"--as I was saying, right, Steve?"

A blunt poke on his arm prompted Steve to blink a couple of times in a weak attempt to get the grit out of his eyes. "'m sorry?"

Natasha appeared in front of him, her stare full of barely hidden concern. "When's the last time you slept?"

Steve shut his eyes. Felt nice. Sleeping standing up didn't take much effort. Maybe he could...oh, wait, Natasha had asked him something. "Uh, about a day ago. 's no problem. Gone longer without snoozin'"

"Right, and that's why you're practically one "timber!" away from dropping to the floor." Sam poked him once again. "Come on, big fella, I'm gonna walk you back to your apartment."

"I'm fine." Steve ran a hand over his face. His body craved sleep, only he didn't want to move. His friends should leave him here. He'd slept in worse conditions.

" _Right_." Sam drawled out. That was a similar tone to the one Sam had used while coaxing a scared dog out of a crumbling building a few weeks ago. 

"I could do with some rest," Loki said a few feet away.

Steve opened his eyes with some effort and turned his head, his gaze dropping to Loki's hands and the way they'd curled into fists. Huh, so maybe the ceremony had left Loki feeling winded too. The exhaustion was such that Steve could only muster an "Okay".

"All right, let's go," Sam said, and if he was weirded out by Steve and Loki suddenly agreeing on something, he didn't show it.

"I'll join you," Natasha spoke up. "Gotta make sure you don't end up passing out in a hallway or the elevator."

That sounded like a good idea. Loki wasn't familiar with the Tower and Steve's brain was functioning at 10%. The four of them made their way to the elevator in absolute silence.

"Good morning, Your Royal Highness, Captain Rogers, Ms. Romanoff, and Mr. Wilson," Jarvis piped in once they went into the car. "Where to?"

"To the Captain's floor," Loki replied somewhat rather sharply. "And Loki will be fine."

"Noted, Sir."

Natasha checked her phone, Sam kept throwing worried looks at Steve, Loki ignored everyone, and Steve found himself once again staring at the elevator numbers. A small sigh escaped his lips when Jarvis announced his floor.

He dug into his pockets, following the others out of the elevator car almost on autopilot. "Thanks for coming with," he muttered once he managed to find his keys and turn the lock.

"It's no biggie, Rogers. You know, safety in numbers." Natasha winked at him. She tapped Sam's arm. "I think there's still some medovik left in the kitchen. Wanna split it with me after we say goodbye to these two?"

"Nat, you don't have to ask me twice." Sam quirked an eyebrow at Steve. "Call us when you're up, okay?

"As touching as your concern for your Captain is," Loki said, expressionless, "allow me to point out that neither of us can hurt the other."

"Oh well, since you put it that way..." Sam rolled his eyes. "G'night, Steve."

Now that he was only a few feet away from his bed, Steve could only nod while yawning. He moved to the side so that Loki could walk in, then flapped a hand at his friends before following him inside.

Loki stood at the end of the foyer, surveying the living room like he was going rate the decor. Steve tried to imagine what Loki was looking at: the long, black leather sofa and matching set of chaises arranged around a nice coffee table on the living room; two floor lamps; his easel and a metal rolling cart with his paints and brushes set up on a corner next to the large ceiling-to-floor window that ran from one end of the room to the other. 

The daytime view was moderately impressive given how high up they were. Steve preferred the nighttime panorama with all the twinkling lights. Like all the apartments in the tower, the design was a semicircle with the master and guest bedrooms at opposite ends, a really big living room, and an open kitchen. 

"Your room is over there," he said, pointing to his right, after it was clear that Loki had no intention of speaking. Then, he gestured to his left. "Mine's that way. The fridge is fully stocked if you get hungry. Um, ask Jarvis if you need help with anything else."

"How very accommodating of you, Captain," Loki said with only the barest hint of snootiness. He blinked. "I wasn't joking, however, when I said I wanted to lie down."

Steve covered his mouth to hide another yawn. "Feeling pretty dead myself. We'll talk later, OK?" He waved at Loki as he headed to his bedroom, practically dragging his feet, and having just about enough energy to strip down to his boxers before passing out into a deep slumber.

* * *

The last time Steve remembered zonking out so hard he was still a little sleep drunk when he woke up was after rescuing Bucky from that Hydra base way back in the 40s. He unrolled from the flat sheet and comforter that had wrapped around him, nearly slipping onto the floor in the process. The fogginess in his brain made him strangely uncoordinated. "Lights at 20," he said, hoping that the mild brightness would clear his brain.

He half-slid, half-walked to the bathroom, relieving his bladder, brushing his teeth, and splashing some water on his face. Some mornings were harder to get started than others, he considered when he returned to his bedroom. He rummaged through a drawer full of workout clothes, his mind holding onto a dream about an enormous golden throne surrounded by falling debris.

Still mostly asleep, he poured himself into a compression shirt and a soft pair of sweatpants, then tied up his sneakers more out of habit than anything else. Hopefully, the first ten minutes of his run would shake him out of this almost-but-not-quite hangover.

An invisible rope stopped him when he got to the front door; the tug was strong enough to almost make him trip. He rubbed his chest--grumbling as he pulled against whatever didn't want to let him go--until he completed the few steps to the elevator. The pressure didn't ease when he got inside the car. If anything, the pull became stronger.

He began to shiver despite the heat spreading from the center of his chest. The discomfort was right on the edge of becoming painful. The possibility of having a heart attacked crossed his mind, fear dropping in his stomach like a cold chunk of ice.

"I notice you are in distress, Captain Rogers," Jarvis said, sounding concerned in a way that made Steve's panic go up a notch. "May I suggest a trip to the infirmary?"

Steve massaged the middle of his chest. Going to the infirmary was very low on his list of places he liked to visit. "Thanks, Jarvis. "But I'm not in pain. I promise I'll go there after a session at the gym."

"Your vitals indicate--"

A loud _pop_ prevented Steve from answering. The elevator stopped at once.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Loki said, barefooted and giving Steve an intensely murderous scowl. His hair was wilder than Steve had ever seen before; both his green tunic and his black cotton pants were wrinkled. 

"I--um, I." Steve stared at Loki, eyes wide, as his mind scrambled for solid ground. When had Loki returned? Why was he talking to him like they--memories from earlier flooded his mind. He took a step back, then another, and another, not stopping until his back was pressed against the elevator's wall.

"It's nighttime." Loki narrowed his eyes. "Why are you--what are _we_ doing out of bed?"

"Didn't plan on sleeping the day away," Steve answered, returning the same annoyed Loki was giving him. "Wanted to lift a few weights before having lunch with the team."

"Night. Time," Loki said through his teeth. He stood in a defensive posture, hands slowly opening and closing. Even freshly out of bed, Loki's body language said 'danger'. "We were only a day into our sleep and you wanted to exercise and hobnob with your teammates?"

It couldn't be a day. They had bonded only a few _hours_ ago. "Jarvis?"

"It's twenty one hundred hours, Captain," Jarvis said. "Of the day after the _hjertebindning_ happened."

Steve made a face at the nearest camera. There was no way he'd slept for 38 hours without waking up once! An exasperated sigh prompted him to look at Loki.

"The ritual merged our energies. Do you have any idea how long it takes to regenerate from something like that? We should've been sleeping at least until tomorrow," Loki sniffed.

"Ever since the serum, I'm unable to sleep more than five hours," Steve replied automatically.

"You might be wrong about that." Loki's voice was pure sarcasm. "At least this time." 

"The team--someone would've woken me, erm, us up. I was on the rotation and--"

"Several members of your team did look in on you, Captain, in a manner of speaking," Jarvis interrupted. "Mr. Wilson, Ms. Romanoff, and Ms. Maximoff requested hourly updates when it was obvious neither of you had arisen."

Steve looked at the camera once again. That didn't track with what he knew of his friends. "They didn't come in?" 

"I advised them that neither you nor Loki were in any immediate danger. In addition, I presented them with data based on your heart beats and the lack of activity in your quarters. Mr. Stark was able to corroborate the information I provided."

"And he was satisfied?"

Jarvis vacillated for a second. "Mr. Stark did say that he would 'break the door down no matter what' if you were still sleeping past hour 48."

"Yeah, that sounds like Tony," Steve said, scratching his chin. "Please tell them that we're okay. And that we will see them in a little while." He turned to Loki, ignoring the arrogance in his eyes, and offered a compromise. "In the meantime, let's go back to my floor and have some food. I think I can forgo going running for one day."

"How magnanimous of you," Loki said, arms crossed and probably a second or two away from rolling his eyes. When the doors opened, Loki stepped out of the car first, mumbling something about "idiot mortals."

A simmering anger began to course through Steve. He stomped after Loki, house keys in hand. "Give a guy a break, okay? Getting bonded or whatever might be an everyday occurrence in Asgard. Down here, life is less, is less--"

"If you're going to say 'magical', perhaps I can re-introduce you to Midgard's wizard." Loki's half-smile poking at every single spot of irritation under Steve's skin.

"What I was going to say was 'less complicated'." Steve closed the door behind him and turned left into the kitchen. He picked the first ready-to-blend fruit and veggie mix he found in the fridge, threw in a handful of chia seeds and a splash of almond milk, and then placed the single cup on the blender. Less than a minute later, he was guzzling down the smoothie. That'd be enough to keep him until he was done making breakfast. The coffee maker started grinding beans only seconds after scanning Steve's right index finger. The future was great.

Behind him, he heard Loki pull out a chair and sit down. Inwardly wincing at his mother's voice berating him for poor manners, he put the tumbler down and faced him. "I can make you something if you'd like."

"I'm not much for a hearty meal upon waking," Loki said, every single word heavy with contempt, as if Steve had suggested a ten course meal. "You must be confusing me with my brother."

It was a good thing, Steve thought, he'd gotten a pre-breakfast snack because it was too early in his day to deal with a snooty Loki. He raised an eyebrow.

"Ugh, fine." Loki stopped drumming his fingers on the table after trying (and failing) to wait Steve out. "I could do with something light."

"All right." Steve uncrossed his arms and pulled one of the fruit trays out of the fridge. That should keep Loki occupied for a little bit. "Here you go. Coffee will be done soon."

Loki picked up a kiwi wedge and bit into it with excessive caution. He made an appreciative noise and continue to eat his way through the platter. "Am I keeping you from your meal, Captain?"

"Uh, no," Steve answered, half-amused for some inexplicable reason. "Just thinking about what I want to make today. Maybe something with lots of syrup. Though I think the only syrup-like thing around is this." 

He followed Loki's eyes to the bottle of honey on the counter. After a pointed look, he picked it up, placing it on the table, and sliding it over to Loki. "All you had to do was ask, you know? Or pick it up yourself."

"It was right next to you," Loki replied as he drizzled some of the honey on a pineapple slice. 

"Just because we're, you know, _bonded_ , it doesn't mean I'm going to be waiting on you hand and foot," Steve huffed. The quiet joy from moments ago fading into nothingness. "This isn't Asgard."

"Really? Hmm."

Steve opened his mouth only to immediately close it. Snapping at Loki wasn't going to help his empty stomach. He went back to the fridge and took out the ingredients to make a 6-egg, kale, and Parmesan cheese scramble. Also a package of bacon strips because for fuck's sake he had a real hankering for it today.

"Do you..." Loki cleared his throat. "Do you enjoy cooking?"

"I'm great at breakfast foods." Steve ripped the bag of pre-washed kale open, accepting Loki's attempt at conversation as the peace offering it was. He mixed everything he needed, then poured the egg batter on one pan and set another one on the next burner. "Can make any kind of sandwich too. Anything else I'm a total failure. You?"

"My aptitude for making anything edible is practically nonexistent," Loki said in between snacking on a few strawberries. "The only times I spent in the kitchens back in Asgard were when I was gathering ingredients for potions."

Steve hmmed while plating the scramble and checking that the other pan was ready. Soon, the aroma of bacon sizzling permeated the kitchen. "Never needed to learn, huh?" he asked when he finally sat down with his eggs and a mountain of fried bacon strips.

Loki shrugged lazily. "I developed other skills instead." He got up and, much to Steve's surprise, poured two cups of coffee.

Mouth full of his breakfast, Steve could only do an awkward nod. He washed his food down with a gulp of coffee. "Thanks. So, about the bond?"

"Yes?" Loki poured lots of cream and sugar into his own cup, glancing over at Steve as he stirred. "What about it?"

Steve picked up a bacon strip, then put it back on the plate. Now that he had Loki's attention, he didn't know where to start and not come off like a dolt. "What happened in the elevator, you've seen anything like that before?"

"Not seen, just heard. Bor, my grandfather, is said to have had such a union with his wife." The expression on Loki's face was blank. His voice, however, had a certain edge of longing. 

"You don't know?" Steve had another forkful. 

"Never met him." Loki shook his head slowly, almost as if he was admitting to some painful memory. "There are also a few Aesir folktales about bonds going wrong or driving the individual involved mad."

"Huh. I thought I was imagining things when I left this morning." Steve chewed on a bacon strip while he put his thoughts in order. "Something was, I don't know, stopping me and I had to put in a lot of effort to move."

"It woke me up," Loki said, contemplating his coffee. "Your leaving. It was like someone pulling me out of bed. By the time I made it out of my room, you were probably a couple of floors down. Next thing I knew, I was watching you freaking out."

"So this is like a rubber band," Steve mumbled, his right hand resting on his chest for a moment. The pressure from earlier had vanished, huh.

"I suppose." Loki leaned forward and stole a bacon strip. "There's enough of a slack for the two of us to not end on top of one another. However, it remains a leash."

"A leash?"

"Uh-huh," Loki said and zoom, there went another bacon strip. "A leash with both of us holding the ends."

"You want me to fix you a plate? I gotta get me a second cup anyway."

Whether intentional or no, Loki crunched the rest of the bacon he was holding very loudly. He flashed a closed-mouth smile before taking a quick sip of his coffee. "That won't be necessary."

* * *

After breakfast, Steve and Loki had gone on their semi-separate ways to get cleaned up. Natasha, Wanda, and Sam knocked on the front door just as Steve was returning to the living room, wearing a regular t-shirt and his softest pair of jeans.

"Came to see how you were doing," Sam said, clapping Steve on the shoulder.

"Still got all ten." Steve wiggled his fingers. "Come on in."

"I had to talk Nat from breaking in," Wanda joked as she hugged him. "She said Jarvis could've been compromised."

"Didn't say 'compromised'," Natasha sulked a little. When she looked at Steve, her expression was more amusement than worry. "You didn't see how goofy you were afterwards. Can you blame a gal for looking out for her friend?"

Steve made a so-so gesture "Maybe. If said gal also knows a hundred ways of disposing a body."

Seeing Natasha stop herself from reacting with a glare was definitely worth teasing her. "It's a hundred and thirty and you know it."

The four of them were settling down in the living room when Loki strolled in, barefoot and wearing another green tunic (this one leather instead of linen) and black pants. He sat on the chaise farthest from the group. He curled his feet under him with artful movements. "Good evening."

"Hi," Wanda said. Her mouth curved into a kind smile when Loki waved at her.

Natasha watched him for a couple of seconds. When she spoke, she sounded half-bored. "So, still alive?"

"Apologies for disappointing you." Loki lowered his gaze, picking some invisible lint from his pants. "The Captain and I have reached an easy detente."

"No one would've thought you were going to do the Sleeping Beauty routine twice in a hundred years," Sam said, directing the conversation away from whatever was going on between Natasha and Loki.

Steve bit the inside his mouth. Perhaps it'd be good to come clean. "I did feel a little woozy after--"

"And you thought you could walk it off?" Sam looked at the ceiling and exhaled.

"Something like that, yeah," Steve replied, the back of his neck growing hot under the weight of Sam and Natasha's combined stares.

"For an old man, you're a real baby sometimes, Rogers," Natasha said in a low voice. She shook her head.

"Would any of you like something to drink or eat?" Loki asked in the manner of someone accustomed to hosting parties. "I can promise I won't poison you."

"No. Erm, thank you?" Sam said after bouncing back from his surprise.

Loki untangled his legs after no one else spoke. "Suit yourselves. I'm going to have an eclair or two."

"We wanted to check in on--on both of you," Sam said, lifting an eyebrow as he saw Loki get up and head to the kitchen. "Having done that, we're saying goodnight. _Some of us_ have to wake up pretty early to cover the shifts you're sitting out."

"I'll be back to active duty the day after tomorrow." Steve wasn't doing this by choice. They had all agreed on Steve getting a feel for what being bonded to Loki was like before picking up his shield again. "Besides, you know I don't like getting benched."

"Suck it up, Rogers." Natasha rose from her seat and everyone else did as well. "Enjoy this mini-downtime to pick up a hobby. Something relaxing like chainsaw juggling."

"How about paragliding off the top of this building?" Wanda proposed, her eyes shining with mischief.

"That's not a bad idea, Maximoff." Steve rubbed his chin. "Not a bad idea at all."

* * *

Steve had gone to bed a few minutes after Wanda, Natasha, and Sam left. He was still feeling slightly out of sorts from the bonding. Loki wished him a good night without looking up from whatever he was reading.

The--by now familiar--grogginess lasted a shorter period of time the next morning. He could tell that Loki had woken up too. About the only thing he could do with this newfound awareness was to add it to the rest of the 'weird bond stuff' file in his head. Maybe it'd come in handy one day. He finished brushing his teeth and got ready.

As tempting as it was to go to the gym downstairs, Steve thought it'd be wiser to wait at least one more day. Some of it was him needing to get acclimated to having Loki in his immediate vicinity. The last Steve wanted was to act jumpy around him; that was sure to cause a chain reaction. Instead, he chose to do a few rounds of calisthenics outside of his bedroom.

Loki, who had stepped outside wearing linen green tunic and pants, made a beeline for the coffee machine fifteen minutes later. "Hmmm."

"What?" Steve grunted on sit-up number 950. He'd decided to spread his workouts throughout the day. Doing so would, hopefully, break some of the monotony. Today he was going to make French toast.

"Nothing," Loki said in between yawns.

"Doesn't--doesn't sound like nothing," Steve said, almost involuntarily. Plenty of people teased him about not being a morning person. He'd never been particularly chatty upon waking.

"Just thinking." The sound of Loki pouring himself a cup echoed in the apartment.

"Okay?" Only a few more reps and he could make French toast and maybe a couple dozen of those turkey sausages from the fancy supermarket Stark Industries got its food from.

"This is a pitiful scene," Loki said. "Must you do these exercise routines every day?"

"Don't hafta," Steve said (only ten more to go). "I wake up with a lot of excess energy and this is the best way to burn some of it off."

"Or else?"

It'd been a while since Steve had tried to follow a conversation while working out. Everyone, except for Peter or (pre-settling down in Wakanda) Bucky, gave him a wide berth when he stepped into the gym. "Or else what?"

"What happens if you don't do all of, you know, _that_?"

"If I don't," Steve said (and yes, he was done!), "I get really, really cranky." He wiped the sweat off his face with the bottom of his t-shirt.

"Romanoff was right then," Loki said, then paused, presumably to have another sip of his coffee. 

Steve didn't bother to look at him, the wave of mild contempt heading his way was more than enough. "Gonna shower and then I'll make us some breakfast," he said when was upright. He had one foot through his bedroom doorway when he turned around. "Wait, Natasha was right about what?"

"About you being a baby," Loki replied. He blinked, then dropped on the sofa and picked up a new book.

Steve didn't hold back the guffaw as he went to his room.

* * *

Following a quick shower and a full breakfast (he was glad to have made double the amount of French toast he'd originally planned. Loki ate two off his plate after finishing his own), Steve perched on the sofa arm, flipping through the small notebook he'd gotten in the habit of carrying. Maybe it was time to catch up with a few more things from his list.

"Whatever are you doing?" Loki asked, sitting on the sofa, another book in hand. 

"People keep giving me suggestions on things I 'must' check out," Steve said without looking up. He skipped Natasha's and Tony's lists. Sam's was mostly music and Bucky's was nothing but books. Today, he was in the mood for something that wouldn't make him cry or angry. The sensation of being stared at made him shift his gaze toward Loki. "Seems like I missed out on a lot when I was, erm, asleep."

Loki hmmed as he settled on his side of the sofa, a new book in hand. 

Steve opened then closed his mouth when he found the YOLO list, i.e. Clint's "You Have To Watch This" recommendations. "Jarvis, could you play _Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 3_?"

"Will do," Jarvis said. The windows began to darken at the same time the TV turned itself on.

Halfway through the almost-unwatchable film (Clint had the Worst Taste in Movies Ever ™), Steve noticed Loki leaning forward, his book forgotten on his lap.

The next couple of movies-- _Finisher: G3n3s1s_ followed by the 2018 remake of something called _Gymkata_ \--ended up being complete duds. 

"So this is what passes for entertainment in Midgard?" Loki made a face as he picked up a slice from one of the pizzas Steve had ordered one bad movie ago.

"I'm pretty sure Asgardian culture has had a low point or two," Steve grumbled into his own slice. 

They ran out of steam sometime around the first half of _Sharknado vs. Galatic Dragon_. Steve turned to make some quip (how could a shark swim in space?) only to find Loki curled up and softly snoring. He picked up a cashmere throw that Pepper had gifted him the previous Christmas and covered Loki with it, turning off the floor lamp and the TV before sneaking away to his bedroom.

* * *

The sun was still an hour or so away when Steve jumped out of his bed, going through a quick morning routine before dressing in his gym clothes. The excitement at finally leaving the apartment after two days of self-imposed exile was something he could barely contain. 

It wasn't until he saw Loki, dressed in the green and black leathers Steve had started to think of as "Loki's casual uniform" and practically clinging to the counter as the coffee machine did its thing, that Steve understood the reason for the sluggishness that had been plaguing him. This whole bond business got curiouser and curiouser.

"Here," he said as he placed a to go container with a shield symbol etched on the sides in front of Loki. "It's clean. Feel free to use it."

The coffee machine was still beeping when Loki did a quick hand gesture at it. When Steve looked back at the pot, at least half of the coffee had disappeared.

"Neat trick."

"Be thankful I am unable to spill that coffee all over you for waking us up at dawn," Loki said, before he took a long gulp. "Let's go."

* * *

Just as expected, the early hour, Steve observed, was nowhere near as much of a deterrent to the team as it was to Loki. There were several people already mid-workouts in the giant space.

Rhodey and Maria were sparring on the mats, Wanda was doing a solo attack simulation in the practice room, and Natasha was going through a few warm-up stretches that rivaled the poses from that fancy circus Steve and Sam had attended a couple of times.

"Gonna go hit the weights," Steve said as he did a quick stretch himself.

"Have fun," Loki replied, looking in Wanda's direction with some interest. He whirled around and gave him what Steve thought of as Loki's 'Bambi eyes'. "I can assure you that I'll try my best to behave."

"Let's hope so." The weight area was at the opposite end of the gym. Far enough to get a little space from each other without putting too much strain on the bond. 

Steve snorted at Loki's shooing motion. He nodded at Sam when he got to the weight room, picking up a jumping rope from a nearby box and gripping the ends.

"Morning," Sam said through gritted teeth, sweat rolling down his face. The clang of the weights from the lat pull machine followed. "I'm glad to see you out and about. Had even forgotten what you looked like."

"It's been a little strange, I tell you." Steve flicked his wrists and started jumping.

"Really? And here I thought the two of you were cozying up." Sam rolled his head then adjusted his posture, arms reaching up to the handles. "The way Nat and Tony talked about the last time you crossed paths with him...well."

"Well, what?" Steve said in between breaths. The twin noises from the whoosh of Steve's rope and the clank from Sam's machine echoed for a moment.

Sam blew out his cheeks before answering. "Most people were expecting to hear a few explosions coming from your floor. Tony's pretty sure that you'd try to strangle Loki before the day was over."

"Ah, so there's a betting pool, huh?" Steve managed to say as he finished his last set of reps.

"Something like that," Sam conceded in between pulls. "My money's on you."

"Oh, yeah?," Steve exhaled. "Why-why's that?"

"Bucky." Sam let go of the handles. "I've heard the stories, Steve. You're a scrappy fella and I've always had a soft spot for the underdog."

Sam's exaggerated wink started a fit of giggling that almost-but-not quite made Steve trip and fall.

By the time he and Sam had caught up ("I swear, Sam, it's not bragging. Put another 50 on so I can lift in peace"), Steve rolled his head and did a quick loop on a treadmill. When he returned to the main area, Loki was nowhere to be found. His rubber band--their bond--wasn't exactly taut, so Loki had to be somewhere around. 

A quick scan of the room revealed Loki standing next to Wanda inside the practice room. He was pointing at something Steve couldn't see and waving his hands one way, then the other. A few of his signature green blasts appeared and flew toward the holograms on the other side of the room, his aim as true as ever. Wanda frowned and mimicked Loki's movements, jumping when she managed to hit every single one with her red energy.

"He walked in there right after you left," Natasha said as she threw a bottle of water at Steve and then uncapped her own.

Steve caught it with ease and drank it all in one go, its coolness at once refreshing and invigorating. "Thanks. I forgot to get one before starting my session. So Wanda and Loki, huh."

Natasha cracked her knuckles. "Makes sense to me. They're both immersed in magic. Maybe it'll be good for Wanda, you know?"

"What's that?" Steve dumped his empty bottle into a nearby trash can.

"To have someone around who understands some of what she is, what she can do." Natasha wiggled her eyebrows. "Are you too tired to give it a go?"

Steve glanced at Loki (still teaching Wanda), then at Natasha (her stare anticipatory) and the mats. "All right, one round."

"Two rounds," Natasha answered over her shoulder. She'd already begun to walk over to the area. "And I'll even let you tap out if you can't handle me."

Steve sucked his teeth. "You know, there's such a thing as being too cocky."

"Ha! Pot meet kettle." Natasha snorted and then began to circle Steve. "Well, big boy, whenever you're ready."

* * *

"Round three tomorrow?" Natasha's smile was way too smug.

Steve tried to not play into what she was doing. On the other hand, the last hold she'd used had been a tough one to get out of. He fistbumped her in lieu of saying anything else and walked toward the training room, Natasha's mild laughter fading in the distance.

"Good session?" he asked Wanda. Her face was flushed and she was talking to Loki more animatedly than he'd seen her do in a long while.

"It's been fun. Loki's a really good teacher." Wanda grinned. She had gathered her long brown hair in a ponytail and, when Steve looked at Loki, he noticed his hair was up too. 

"She's a fast learner," Loki said softly, but clearly proud of her. His expression dulled once Wanda had left the room. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"I'm, ahem, _we_ are on-call today." Steve followed a drop of sweat rolling down Loki's neck and disappear under his tunic. "So the plan is--is to hit the showers, have breakfast, and then gear up."

"Oh, goody," Loki sighed as he undid his hair tie, "It's been a while since I've been part of the calvary."

* * *

Although it wasn't as massive as it once had been, SHIELD (or, at least, the new, HYDRA-less version) kept plenty busy. From the moment they stepped inside Mission HQ, Loki began to observe the people at their computer stations with a minimal amount of disdain, Steve noted. 

He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. 

Standing on a raised platform in the middle of the room and surrounded by a few holo-panels, Maria Hill beckoned them to her. She gave Steve a tight smile, then looked at Loki before addressing Steve. "Things have been pretty quiet so far."

"Eh, it's only zero eight hundred. I suppose villains have day jobs too." He turned from side to side. "Where is everyone?"

Maria keyed in something on her Starkpad. The holoscreen in the middle lit up, then a map of the US popped up with two lines heading west from NYC. "Stark and Rhodes are en route to handle some Doom-related activity in Kansas."

"Is Clint back?"

Maria shook her head. "He and Mockingbird are still deep undercover in Buenos Aires. I think--"

"This is all very scintillating," Loki said, a very obvious fake smile plastered on his face, "but I'm also three chapters from finding out if the assassin will kill the evil queen or seduce her. Personally, I'm hoping for the latter." He showed them a book he'd picked up on his way out of the apartment.

"Fine, just sit somewhere I can see you," Steve said, sharing a look of exasperation with Maria before resuming the morning briefing. The next hour was filled with helping Stark and Rhodes coordinate a successful plan of attack. Every so often he would check on Loki, glancing toward the sofa and the demigod currently sitting on it.

Things had been going well until the moment when he did another visual sweep and found an empty sofa. He narrowed his eyes. "Where's Loki? Has anyone seen him?"

Maria and the two SHIELD agents next to her, frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about, Steve? He's right--"

"No, he isn't," Steve interrupted. Four steps later, and he was picking up the book left behind, wanting to kick himself for not keeping a closer eye on Loki. "Whatever you're seeing," he said to the group behind him, "is one of his illusions. The good news is that he's around. I'll be right back."

For a second, he considered running around yelling Loki's name at the top of his lungs. Doing that would be too dramatic, even for Steve. Instead, he focused his mind on Loki and allowed his legs to take him wherever Loki was. He stopped in front of the break room. Loki's pleased and low voice mingled with someone who sounded a little too flustered per what Steve could hear.

"Tsk, so you've found me," Loki said, beaming at Steve as if they'd agreed on playing hide-and-seek. "Angelika here," he went on--winking at one of the console techs--"brought an entire tray of something delicious called 'blondies' that her wife, Lufuno is it? Right, Lufuno baked for everyone. Would you like one?"

Steve swallowed the impulse to express his frustration at Loki's carelessness. Instead, he gave Angelika a tight smile. She returned his smile with a nervous one of her own and scurried off with a faint "excuse me". 

Now that they were alone, he let his annoyance show to Loki at full strength. "That wasn't cute--"

"I wasn't aiming for 'cute'," Loki corrected before taking a bite of the blondie. "Mmm, it's so sweet."

"Or funny," Steve continued, craning his neck until he could look at Loki in the eye. "This is work, not 'let's give Loki's sweet tooth some lovin' time."

"I was bored," Loki shrugged. "Finished the book and thought it'd be fun to look around. Maybe I'd have stayed put in the control room or whatever is called had any snacks nearby."

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. "Listen, I--"

"Pardon the interruption," Jarvis said, "but Ms. Hill is requesting your to the Mission Room. There's a situation developing near Washington Square."

"Saved by the android." Loki spun around, leaving behind the box of the snacks he'd been lured by. Of course.

* * *

Steve stopped by his locker and picked up his uniform top on his way to Mission HQ. It was likely they were going to be sent into action very soon. He was zipping it up when he and Loki walked back inside. "Hill?"

"Hostile is someone calling herself Madame Masque. She claims she traveled here from somewhere in the early 1950s."

"And she's brought friends?" Steve looked at the footage on the holoscreen.

"Only robots, it seems," Maria answered. "A lot of them. Falcon and Spider-Man are working on threat containment. Wong and Wanda are dealing with Masque directly."

That was a lot of firepower for one threat. Steve frowned at Maria. "And they're there because?"

"It's the fastest way to send her back," Loki guessed, staring at Wong and Wanda shooting energy blasts at a petite blonde that returned their fire way too easily for Steve's liking.

"That's how I understand it," Maria confirmed. "Thought you'd like to go out and lend a hand."

"Maybe a dagger or two, as well," Loki said, leaning in a little, fascinated at the melee onscreen.

Maria raised an eyebrow without looking impressed. "Something like that."

"Okay, okay," Steve did a couple of quick calculations as he picked up his shield and hooked it to his holster. He put in his in-ear com unit after adjusting his cowl. "Sam? We can make it over there in 20--"

"Stay where you are," Sam replied. Onscreen, he did a couple of loops, firing at a group of robots on MacDougal Street. "Wong's gonna get you here quicker."

At that, the air to Steve's right began to hiss as a whirl of orange light became a portal large enough for Steve and Loki to fit through.

Steve surveyed the chaos. Wanda floated near the top of the Washington Arch, glowing red as she summoned vines to hold Madame Masque. At the floor level, Wong kept trying to summon a portal while dodging a stray energy blast from Masque in between attacks from robots. Thankfully, the civilians had sought refuge elsewhere. "Priority is to keep the robots from distracting Wanda and Wong. We have to destroy that machine over there." He pointed at a weird metal box floating next to the fountain. "Loki--"

"No need to say 'stay close', Captain." Loki's smile was vicious when he stepped in front of Steve. He looked over his shoulder as he flipped two daggers in the air. His helmet was back, golden horns shining. "I'll cut us a path through."

At this, Loki started to throw an apparently never-ending number of daggers at the nearest robots. He dodged a couple of punches aimed at him, rolling toward a small group and getting up, helmet in hand.

Steve threw his shield in a forward low arc, catching it mid-air whenever it bounced back to him. He pulled his right arm back, making his hand into a fist, and letting it go with all of his strength at the nearest robot. On his right, Loki was kicking and punching with an elegance that reminded Steve of Natasha. 

"Enough dilly-dallying," Steve hissed at the robot that had landed a nasty punch near his left eye. 

He continued to punch metal, inwardly pleased at the crunch it made when he landed a hit and not thinking much about the tiny smear of blood he left behind before fighting against the next two robots and then the next and the next. 

At one point, he turned around--seconds before Loki yelled "Steve!" at him--and raised his shield to cover his face and torso, locking his legs to bear the brunt of an energy blast from Loki that then rebounded and decimated five robots at once. While in the middle of battle, the air heavy with static and the stench of oil, he chose not to look too closely at the synchronicity he and Loki had all of the sudden.

Thankfully, Madame Masque's reserves were exhausted and the robot waves stopped. Steve deflected an attack from a straggler robot, sighing with relief when he saw Wanda's latest energy attack send Masque through the glowing portal that Wong had created.

"How's that for teamwork?" Loki said in between breaths. His helmet had vanished. "Haven't had that much fun in a long time."

Steve clenched his jaw. Fighting and fun were not two things he'd even connect. But then, he wasn't from outer space. "Good job," he said, inwardly frowning at whatever impulse made him say that. He tapped his comm unit, radioing Maria about an eta for the clean up crews.

"I am glad you're satisfied with my services, Captain," Loki SAID as he knelt and pried a dagger loose from a robot's torso. He looked up at Steve, eyes lit up like if he was sharing a happy confidence with him. "They're all exactly alike, but this one is my favourite."

* * *

Thankfully, the post-battle briefing didn't go on for ages and ages as Steve was scared it would. Time travel was well beyond his area of expertise, he was hungry, and a bit worse for wear. Although no longer looking impeccable, Loki didn't show any sign of exhaustion. Same thing with Wong and, to a lesser extent, Wanda.

Chalk another one to 'because magic'.

Sam and Peter, who had been fighting the longest, were both monosyllabic. A rarity for both.

Back in their apartment, Steve headed to his bathroom, peeling off his uniform until it became a short trail from his bedroom door to his bathroom. He'd pick all of it up later and send it to the Tower's laundry. There were nine other identical uniforms and boots in his closet. 

The shower was amazing: multiple showerheads spraying him with hot water in ways that relaxed his muscles. His left cheek was still a little tender and there was a twinge on his left knee. Both aches and scrapes would be gone by tomorrow morning, but he'd definitely be sporting a black eye tonight. 

He poured a dollop of whatever shower gel was in the dispenser. The image of Loki smiling up at him while holding his so-called favorite dagger popped up in Steve's mind when he started to lather up. He sped up his movements, trying to ignore the iceberg blue of Loki's eyes and his now half-hard cock. Changing the water to a slightly cooler temperature helped calm himself down. The _last_ thing he needed was to start lusting after Loki. 

Once he was done, he stepped out of the shower and started to dry himself off. A sound similar to a roar came from his stomach. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, Captain Rogers?"

"Please call Giancarlo's in Brooklyn and place an order for four...no. Make it _seven_ extra large pizzas. Three cheese, one Caprese, and three supremes. Hold the olives in the last three. Charge them to my credit card."

"Will do, Captain Rogers. Anything else?"

Just when he was about to dismiss Jarvis, he remembered Loki. "One order of cannolis and two of brownies." Whatever was leftover--though he had serious doubts about that--would be good to snack on later on.

* * *

For someone who was less bulky than most Asgardians Steve had seen, Loki could put away nearly as much pizza as he could. He shoved the next-to-last brownie at Loki, biting back a giggle at how sleepy-full he looked, legs stretched on the sofa.

"You take me for a glutton, Captain," Loki said, almost winking at Steve.

"I call it as I see it," Steve said nonchalantly. He closed the container with the last two brownies and sat back on his end of the sofa. "Besides, you got a heck of a workout today on the field."

Loki rolled his head and stared at Steve for a couple of breaths. The light from a floor lamp gave his skin an otherworldly glow. "It was such a relief, you know. Getting to flex all of my muscles instead of spending an excessive amount of time imprisoned." He cleared his throat. "Indoors, I meant indoors."

Steve weighted on how to reply. This was the first time he could remember hearing Loki talk about their bond without making a sassy remark. "Didn't think you'd be going stir crazy." Whatever elegance his comment lacked, it made up for it by being the most neutral observation he could come up with. 

"Five months aboard a ship. And then, here." Loki raised an eyebrow as if he'd been expecting Steve to argue with him. "The first time I was king of Asgard--"

"You sent a metal creature that leveled a town in my world. I saw the footage." Maybe Steve shouldn't be poking Loki. It was also possible a part of him wanted to test the alleged safeguards.

Only, Loki didn't take the bait. He rolled his eyes. "Which is why the _second_ time I was king, I decided to leave the rest of the realms alone and focus on the arts."

Steve snorted at the idea. "I can just picture it: you sitting on a throne of gold that's so high everyone has to look up to all the time and--"

"You--you never visited Asgard." Loki furrowed his brow.

Steve gave him a frown of his own. "No, not as far as I know. It's just something I--" His Starkphone rang. "I'm sorry, I gotta take this. Hello? Yeah, Bucky, I'm here. Hold on." he straightened up. "I'm gonna turn in, okay?"

"Pleasant dreams," Loki said, sinking back into the sofa and closing his eyes.

* * *

"Hey, Buck. Let's switch to video," Steve said.

"All right," Bucky replied, as he did something to his kimoyo bracelet while Steve swiped the vid icon on his phone. "Ah, there you are. Looking pretty beat up, so day that ends in y. Also, what's this I hear about you getting married?."

Steve tried to roll his eyes. Skin on his left cheek pulled tight--a sure sign it was healing--so he had no other option but to glare at his friend. "Robot got too close during today's mission. And, I'm not married."

"That's not what Sam said." The corners of Bucky's eyes crinkled and his shoulders shook with the effort of holding back a giggle.

"Sam needs to stop gossiping," Steve huffed. "Loki and I aren't _married_ \--"

"Which is why you're living together and can't stray that far from each other. Or so I heard on the groupchat."

"It's far less interesting than it sounds, Buck." Steve yawned, then rubbed his eyes. He could only imagine how bizarre the situation looked to everyone else. "I thought I was already in the groupchat."

"Nice deflection and you haven't checked it in the past few days, Rogers. Now give your oldest friend a pass for being worried and asking questions?" Bucky pleaded, crinkling his nose for a second.

"All right, I will. But only because I had most of a Caprese pizza from Giancarlo's a few hours ago." Steve stuck his tongue out. 

"Oh, not the one--"

"Yup," Steve said, beaming, "the one in Brooklyn. Would've saved you a slice if you'd been nearby." Bucky's scowl lightened up Steve's mood even more. His mind drifted to the Battle of New York. It'd been major news for _months_. He wondered..."You ever met him?"

Bucky squinted at him the same way he did whenever he and Steve got into a tough spot while on a mission. "Who? Loki?"

"Uh huh."

"Let me see," Bucky rubbed his chin. "I think I was on ice for most of 2011 through 2013. Then one day, Pierce ordered the techs to thaw me out so he could send me after the guy who ran away with something ..."

"Strucker. He took Loki's Sceptre."

Bucky pointed at Steve, lips pressed for a second or two. "Yeah, Strucker. What a jackass. Anyway, Pierce was on edge. He _really_ wanted to put his grubby paws on the stone inside the Sceptre."

All these years later and Steve still found it weird to get old intel on failed HYDRA missions. "Strucker was HYDRA through and through, so how come Pierce never got--"

"HYDRA couldn't pinpoint his location. Maybe Strucker got greedy and wanted the Sceptre powers for himself?" Bucky shrugged. "Rumlow mentioned--he mentioned that Strucker might be getting help from Dr. Doom. They lost him sometime after he entered Latveria." 

The idea of Pierce wielding the Sceptre and mind controlling everyone was only slightly less horrifying than Project Insight. Steve shuddered. "It's a miracle Doom didn't steal it for himself."

"I know right?" Bucky snorted. "Anyway, never met Loki. Saw some of the footage from earlier today. He's got some impressive knife-throwing skills."

"He also has a sweet tooth to rival yours," Steve said, rolling his eyes at the thought of Loki's eternal quest for a sugar high. "By the way, how's my niece?"

Bucky looked sideways at something off-camera. "I saw her jumping around as soon as I got up to feed her." The camera remained steady as Bucky walked outside and into a bright morning. "Yo, Grant, where the hell have you hopped off to?"

A tiny and angry-sounding bleat could be heard on the distance. Bucky scanned the landscape. "Ah, I think she's grazing with the rest of the herd."

"Next time I visit, I'll make sure to bring a lot of treats for her," Steve said as he suppressed a yawn.

"You've always had a soft spot for the runts, Rogers," Bucky said before whistling at a trip of goats somewhere in the distance.

Steve headed to the bathroom. "Tell me about your day. Ayo finally stopped kicking your butt during your training?" He started to brush his teeth.

"Funny story about that..."

* * *

Dreaming was something that Steve had stopped paying attention to after crashing the _Valkyrie_. Remembering whatever his brain had come up with while sleeping was the exception. Rarer still was becoming aware that he was dreaming. Except that's exactly what happened several hours later.

What had woken him up mid-dream was the sensation of air rushing past his face. His stomach flopped every which way, kind of like it did when he rode roller coasters or jumped out of quinjets. This time there was no ground, only more space to drop through until he found himself on the edge of true vertigo. No matter how wide he opened his eyes, the one thing he could see was the kind of darkness that made him think of black holes and Lovecraftian scenarios. No stars, no light, nothing but an at times slow descent into oblivion. 

His body jerked when a rope-like thing wrapped around his left leg and attempted to pull him in a different direction. The difficulty of fighting something he couldn't see wasn't even the most frustrating part. 

Anger surged in his body at being trapped in this place while trying to hold on to who he was. The fire of his rage cleared his head of any growing panic. He conjured up his sharpest dagger and, holding it with his left hand, went about the business of slicing at whatever had tried to trap him. The thing shuddered as he began to cut through its muscle. He kept jabbing his dagger into the thing's flesh, making sure to dig the blade as deep as he could every single time, even when a rotten blood stench filled his nostrils and his eyes began to water.

In the end, there was no noise, only the pressure around his lower calf easing up when he was finally free.

(Wait a minute. A dagger?)

A throbbing pain crawled up his leg, threatening to pull him apart. He couldn't hold on anymore. He couldn't…

(He had to wake up)

* * *

Steve opened up his eyes, heart-hammering as if he'd been running for an hour, his mind trying to pinpoint where the delicate lemon-like aroma hanging in the air was coming from. He blinked, confused by the cozy but posh comforter and silky flat sheet covering him. The mattress was softer than his own. Sitting up didn't clear up his disorientation. Someone cleared his throat to his left.

Turning his head slowly, Steve's mouth dropped open at the shirtless demigod half-glaring at him. He bolted out of the bed, extending his arms at either side to maintain his balance. "What the hell?" he gasped.

"I could ask the same thing, Captain," Loki commented in the semi-darkness as he pulled his discarded tunic around his torso, tying it up with excessive care. He waved a hand at the closest lamp, and a soft light flooded the room almost immediately. His gaze, more curious than wary, swept over Steve. "You're the second Midgardian to have ever sneaked up on me. I must be getting lazy." 

Steve bit his lower lip, grateful of whatever impulse got him to wear his pajama bottoms to bed instead of only his boxer briefs. This situation was already plenty awkward. "Jarvis?"

"You are in Mr. Loki's room," Jarvis replied in a voice that sounded as perplexed as Steve felt. 

"Right. But _how_ did I ended up here?" Sleepwalking was one of the few things Steve had never experienced in his long life. If anything, he slept like the dead.

"My records indicate that you teleported, Captain."

Loki raised an eyebrow before bursting out laughing. 

"It's not--it's not funny," Steve said, aiming for the bedroom door. He stubbed the little toe of his left foot against a corner of Loki's ridiculous bed. "Motherfucker!"

Loki's joyful cackle made Steve press his mouth in a thin line. Although the laughter died down, Loki's eyes shined with delight. "If I am to be woken up halfway through the night, I appreciate that you think of my amusement."

"I don't even know why I ended up here here!" Steve leaned against the nearest wall, rubbing his little toe.

"What were you doing beforehand?"

Steve's memory was hazy, and all he had left was sifting through his fingers. "Dreaming," he answered curtly.

"And?" Loki sat back against the headboard and pulled his legs up, hugging them as he stared at Steve. It was a vulnerable, unnatural pose--for someone the likes of Loki.

"I was falling? There was an abyss; it wasn't my dream." Steve tilted his head, forcing his mind to remember more, but it kept coming up blank. 

"Ah, that sounds familiar." Loki winced as if he'd tasted something sour. "I was in the Void. Do you--do you know what that is?"

"Thor mentioned something but..." Steve shook his head. 

"We've already shared a bed, Captain," Loki said, patting the mattress. "Stop looming over me and get comfortable. I am not a blóð eiturefni"

Steve had no idea what a 'blood devourer" was, but he sat down on a corner of the bed. "All right so, the Void?"

"The Void." Loki hmmed, perhaps gathering his thoughts (or trying to figure out how to use this to his advantage, Steve's mind offered). "Imagine a place where nothing exists. And you're sent there by your father. No way of telling what's around you or how much time has passed. You simply exist in the nothing. There are other things in the same space. Only you can't see them. Some of them are hungry."

Loki flashed an unamused smile. "There's an old Asgardian legend that says the Void will peel back the layers of what you are until nearly everything that makes you who you are is gone. It is then when you offer up the last piece of you to the Void, becoming a part of it for eternity. Kinda poetic, don't you think?"

"That explains the nightmare," Steve said matter-of-factly. An echo of how frantic he'd felt in the dream made him frown at Loki. "So you lived through that?"

"I didn't spend a long time there," Loki answered. 

Despite the blank expression on Loki's face, it was too late--Steve had seen the cracks around it. He'd only spent the space of a dream and it'd freaked him out. Loki had stayed there for far longer. "You remember the terror of it," he said, grimly.

"But I made it out, Captain." Loki lifted his head. "I don't intend to return to it."

* * *

Breakfast was a silent affair.

Unable to go back to sleep, Steve padded to the kitchen, took the box of brownies and a bottle of milk out of the fridge, and poured himself a glass.

Loki appeared a few moments later, hair looking a little wild. "I take it dreamsharing is a new thing for you."

"You could say that," Steve said and pushed the chair opposite his out. "Is that an everyday occurrence for you?"

"Haha, far from it. I trained," Loki said, dunking a corner of the brownie on his milk. "My mother taught me how to shield my mind. You aren't allowed to work certain magics if your opponent can read your mind. After a while, it becomes second nature."

Steve nodded. "Kinda like feinting when fighting. Gotcha." He drank the rest of his glass, then poured himself another one. "So why didn't you freak out to find me in your bed?"

"I did freak out, Captain," Loki said, then pursed his lips. "Don't assume I wasn't surprised to find you cuddling me like I was--" He shook his head. "There was no point in me screaming like someone had let a monster free. At least I kept my cool."

"Fine. _My_ point is why now? Do you know what prompted me to teleport to you? That's an ability the serum didn't give me!"

Loki finished his brownie before answering. "The bond realized I was in distress? A better question is whether or not you can read my mind while awake. I am more game than not about the limitations imposed by the bond, but my mind must remain my own."

"I got nothing," Steve said after a long pause. Loki didn't bother to hide his relief.

* * *

The next two weeks went by without much trouble. Loki, Steve observed, was prone to get into a freakishly efficient stab-happy mode whenever he was on the field. It was possible he was working through the awkwardness of their post-dreamsharing conversation. 

(The closest to a repeat of it had been one time he found Loki, slightly disheveled and probably biting back a yawn, about to knock on his door. "Were you in any discomfort, Captain?" 

Steve tightened his jaw. He'd been dreaming about Bucky's falling off the train. "Nightmare," he replied. 

"I see," Loki murmured. "Perhaps some late night indulgence is in order, then."

"Maybe you're right. Let's go to the kitchen and see what's there to nibble on.")

Everything was calm until halfway through the third week. 

Steve frowned at the calendar notification. Other than Wanda and, whenever he was in town, Sam, the rest of the team had made it pretty clear they wouldn't spend any additional time with Steve if Loki was around. He had an inkling the cold shoulder bothered Loki on some level, but--even though they spent so much time together--there hadn't been a moment to bring up Loki's potential discomfort.

Now that he saw the notification for "Sam and Steve's Hangout Time", Steve had a feeling that things could come to a head sooner rather than later. He dressed in a casual blue sweater and a pair of jeans that was so worn that the material around the knees had ripped into holes.

"Where are you going dressed like that?" Loki scoffed when he came into the living room. He was wearing another variation of black leather pants and a green tunic.

Steve finished tying up his sneakers and did his best to project a casual vibe. " _We_ ," he said with possibly excessive cheerfulness,"are going to the Rec Floor."

"Beg your pardon?" Loki scrunched up his face, seemingly mortally offended to be have his reading interrupted by hangouts with the rest of the team.

Much as Steve wanted to avoid a long explanation, there wasn't a way out of it. "A few years ago, Sam set up a 'we're going to hangout in a non-Avengers Assemble capacity at least twice a month' thing."

Loki raised an unconvinced eyebrow. "Mandatory time with friends, Captain? _Really?_ "

Maybe some reverse psychology would work. "Sounds silly, I know. Turned out to be fun to spend some downtime." He put his hands in his pockets. Revealing that those 'times with friends" had kept him from becoming too lonely was not in Steve's plans for tonight. Plus Sam was awesome company.

"I suppose I will have to attend," Loki said disdainfully. "Is there anything to do other than to see you being chummy with each other?"

Deep down, Steve admitted to himself, Loki's petulance shouldn't be amusing. The reality was funnier to him for a reason he couldn't quite figure out. "Sometimes we watch movies or just shoot the shit. I think he mentioned something about board games." And now came the hard part. "It's not just Sam and I. The invite extends to anyone who wants to drop in."

"There had better be some refreshments," Loki said, crossing his arms in a silent "or else" that made Steve bite back a laugh.

* * *

"Long time no see," Sam said as he fistbumped Steve. If Loki had thought Steve's clothes were too casual, he wondered what he made of Sam's sweatshirt and jogging pants combo. 

"You all right?" Steve pointed at the bandage covering part of Sam's right eyebrow and temple.

"What? This?" Sam made a circle at his face. "No worries, Steve. Per the doctor that patched me up, I won't need surgery. So you'll be able to stare at this beautiful visage for many years to come."

Whether it was the comment or the nonchalant way Sam had said it, Steve wasn't sure. Only that, just like Sam, he turned around after hearing Loki chuckle.

"Hey, we haven't really spoken." Sam extended his right hand to Loki. "Sam Wilson. I'm the Falcon. My _second_ job is keeping this doofus over here from doing too many stupid things."

"A pleasure," Loki said with a tone that was pure royalty. He grabbed Sam's forearm. "I'm Loki Odinson. God of Mischief and Prince of Asgard. On behalf of myself, I must thank you for keeping the Captain from committing excessive tomfoolery."

"Ah, look at you making friends," Wanda said as she walked in, grinning at Loki. Dressed in a black hoodie, one of her flowy miniskirts, and combat boots, she looked like an average young woman and not one of the most powerful Avengers.

"Wanda," Loki said, tilting his head.

"Hey," Steve grinned. "I thought you were in Kenitra. When did you come in?"

"Just yesterday," Wanda said, looking at Steve, "I'd assured Loki that not all of us were wishing him ill. He didn't believe me. You didn't believe me," she raised an eyebrow at Loki. "You owe me."

"I don't recall any kind of agreement, Maximoff," Loki replied with feigned aloofness.

Steve's curiosity as to the terms of the bet was quickly snuffed by Sam interrupting.

"Anyway, Steve, I hope you brought your A game tonight. Because we are about to embark on one of the most intense non-combat situations ever."

Loki stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening at the same time that a sharp smile appeared. "Do tell, Wilson."

Sam reached into his back pocket and presented a deck of cards. "Ladies, gents, and demigods, the time has come to play Uno."

* * *

"So I have news," Maria said as a greeting when Steve and Loki showed up to the emergency meeting the following morning.

"Good or--"

"Natasha's in medical." Maria brought up a nasty-looking x-ray. "GSW. One of the bullets got lodged in her right thigh."

"Fuck," Steve sighed.

"Indeed," Loki added. "Last time I saw something like that, the gladiator was--how shall I put it?--pardoned from life."

Steve shot him a confused look.

"The Grandmaster told me that species were slow to heal," Loki explained.

"Luckily, Romanoff _can and will_ be able to get back in action." Maria cocked an eyebrow. "Unfortunately for her and us, this makes complicates what would've been her next mission."

Losing track of La Garrote when they were so close was an option that Steve didn't want to look into. "We can always gather more intel, maybe--"

Maria shook her head. "We've followed La Garrote's movements for almost a year. He never leaves his compound in Moldovia. We've got a chance to infiltrate by walking through the front door thanks to getting invites to his birthday party. There are only two choices: get inside or wait a whole year for a miracle."

"And Nat's gonna be out of commission for a while." Steve exhaled.

"The party's in two weeks, Rogers. You do the math. I've been scrolling up and down the roster and no one looks right for the cover story we had fed La Garrotte's people."

Running his hand over his face didn't help Steve much. Other than helping him concentrate on finding a solution. Natasha had put so many hours to create a profile that'd be too tempting for even a paranoid of La Garrote's level. They just couldn't waste this opportunity.  
"You lot lack imagination," Loki said as he did a very deliberate eyeroll. "It's a miracle you bested me seven years ago, really."

Sam pursed his lips. "You're gonna continue giving yourself props or are you gonna share with the rest of the class?"

"As I understand it," Loki said, "La Garrotte's never met whoever Romanoff pretended to be, right? So I could use an illusion and go in her place. The Captain here," he shot a mischievous smile at Steve,"can let his beard grow a little. A slight costume change and, he goes from Avenger to my escort for the night."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard, Loki. First of all--"

"First of all, Steve," Maria spoke, head tilted like she was chewing on Loki's words, "it's a recon mission. All we need is confirmation of what kind of data La Garrotte has. Your undercover skills being somewhat remedial aside, there shouldn't be any major complications."

"Sam?"

"It's worth a shot," Sam replied, nodding slowly. "We'll be in radio contact and have a quinjet nearby for exfil."

"Get with the program, Captain," Loki said gleefully. 

The main problem (out of many that started with Loki getting carte blanche to misbehave) was that they could prepare for any eventuality and still come up shortt. And yet the payload could be so valuable...some of the intel they'd intercepted alluded to human trafficking. The fact that the HYDRA logo appeared in some of data made Steve's blood boil. "Okay," he said, staring at Maria while ignoring Loki's triumphant grin.

* * *

"Your healing facilities are devoid of any personality," Loki commented when the elevator doors opened on the Medical Floor.

A childhood spent in hospitals had cemented a deep aversion to anything medical related in Steve. That he managed to be won over by Erskine back in 1943 was more out of a desire to join Bucky on the front than anything else. He schooled his features into a more relaxed expression as he walked down the hallway to Natasha's room, Loki keeping up with absolute ease.

"Hey, Steve and you," Natasha said from her bed. Other than her left leg (bandaged up to hell) and a few small scrapes on her left arm, she looked well rested.

"Hi, Nat," Steve said, smiling when Natasha scrunched up her nose at him. "They've given you the good stuff, huh?"

"How you'd guess, Rogers?" Natasha rolled the "R" in Rogers. "It's enough to keep me from flipping out of this bed. 'S only a matter of time, though. Can't keep me doped up forever."

"And here I thought you were highly acrobatic," Loki said as he sat down on the only available chair. "I've seen you leap circles around the Captain and whoever trains with you."

Natasha scowled at Loki. "I'm so very acrobatic. That's why I ended up here and not, you know, in a body bag." She darted a look at Steve. "Too soon?"

"You might be shocked to hear this but I'm familiar with the term 'gallows humor', Nat" Steve said softly. Natasha's wink made him snort.

"So I hear you're accompanying him over there," she gestured at Loki, "Are you ready?"

"How did you even hear about this?"

"Your meeting ended almost two hours ago. Plenty of time for Hill to keep me in the loop," Natasha said smugly, her Starkphone in hand. "Relax, Rogers. She was checking on me."

"And she just happen to blurt out details about this mission. It's not--it's not that she shouldn't have." Steve turned away from her. "I don't see why--"

"SHIELD's stretched pretty thin," Natasha replied. Her eyes softened. "Fury's following a lead somewhere even Hill doesn't know about. She thinks of me as neutral colleague, therefore safe, to confide in."

It _had_ been a while since Fury had been around. Steve scratched his head. "When you put it like that..."

"It makes a lot of sense, I know." Natasha tried to shift her position. "Besides, after years of knowing me, I'm sure you've picked up a thing or two about blending in."

* * *

The next week and a half was nothing more than intensive sessions of Natasha teaching Loki a thing or two about Veronika Lyahkova, Steve and Maria sifting through maps and preparing exit plans, Steve trying out several disguises, and a couple of sparring sessions with Sam and Wanda.

The days flew and all too soon, he and Loki were in their penthouse suite at the Ritz-Moldovia.

"I'd suggest you stop fidgeting once we're near this Garrote's place," Loki said for the umpteenth time.

"Beard's itchy as fuck," Steve grunted. The serum helped him grow what was basically a ten o'clock shadow after one too many moments of everyone bursting out with laughter whenever he tried on a fake beard. He caught a tube of some aftershave balm Loki had thrown at him. "Thanks."

"Didn't do it for you, Captain," Loki said as he laid back on the chaise in the master bedroom. "After everything I've survived," he said while paging through a fashion magazine, "the last thing I want is to get cut into ribbons by some third-grade mobster because you can't handle your cover. Ah, I like her!"

"Who do you like?" Steve said in between a few sighs of relief at the cooling effect of the balm on his lower face.

Loki ignored him, going into the bathroom. "I think I found what I want to wear tonight," he answered, his voice acquiring that radio static tone indicating the shapeshift.

"Car will be here in 25 minutes," Steve yelled as he unzipped his garment bag. The deep navy suit within had been tailored with a blend of silk wool and bulletproof material. One of these days he was going to send Murdock in Hell's Kitchen a really big basket for recommending his tailor. Even Tony was a little jealous of it when they got the package.

"I'll be ready in a minute, dear," Loki answered, the slight distortion annoying Steve even more. 

Twenty minutes later, they were walking into the elevator. Steve in his suit, tidy beard, and what Sam had dubbed "total hipster glasses". Meanwhile, Loki was...still Loki.

Or so Steve thought until he looked at their reflection when the doors closed. Steve couldn't take his eyes off Loki: now turned into a striking woman wearing a long black dress of such delicate silk it looked almost liquid. 

Loki, being Loki, was delighted. He let go of Steve and twirled. "You like?" he asked and Steve had a moment of watching both the real Loki (in his battle black and green leathers) and his reflection (the dress had a large golden snake connecting the choker and the lower back of the dress.)

"I-I." Steve closed his mouth and averting his eyes from the enticing reflection. It'd be easier to talk directly to the Loki standing next to him. "You're going to be turning a lot of heads, I suppose."

"Good," Loki said, hooking his right arm around Steve's left. "I wasn't born to blend in."

* * *

"Security is too tight," Steve mumbled as he and Loki walked up to the main entrance.

"Your shield really wouldn't go with that outfit," Loki said calmly. "Worst case scenario, I can summon a pair of knives. Hmm, that's interesting."

Steve lifted an eyebrow a fraction of an inch. "What is?"

Loki pretended to brush something off Steve's right shoulder before the line resumed. "There's a trace of magic. It's like a mild buzzing in my ears."

* * *

Much to Loki's joy and Steve's chagrin, nearly all the eyes turned their way as soon as they stepped inside. "You see, this is how I should be greeted every time I go anywhere," Loki said, a lazy smile on his lips.

"Hmph, keep dreaming," Steve said as he picked two drinks from a passing tray.

"Isn't that Garrote?" Loki said when a tall man headed towards them.

Steve pretended to adjust his glasses, taking a picture. A soft "id confirmed" came from his earpiece.

"Shh, just stand there and look pretty," Loki chided while smiling at their mark. "Good evening, Mr...?"

"Mr. Salkuna. And who might you be?" Garrote said before he took one of Loki's hands and placed an all-too-gentle kiss on the back of it.

"What an honor. I'm Ms. Lyahkova, but I think you and I might know each other from other places," Loki said with such a silky voice that Steve had no doubt Garrotte was halfway through getting a stiffie.

"Ah, of course. It's such a shame we haven't met before. I've been wanting to discuss--" Garrote gave Steve a once over, his handsome face turning cruel. "I thought you were going to be alone."

"Oh, he's my security detail. Can't be too careful nowadays. There are so many big, bad wolves out there," Loki said, placing little touches on Garrote's arms.

Garotte hmmed and switched to some language that didn't even sound familiar to Steve.

<"But of course I speak it. Do you take me for an amateur?"> Loki tilted his head at whatever Garotte had said, then clinked his glass against Garotte's.

The rest of the hour crawled with Garrote's babble and Loki's fascinated replies. As much as Steve appreciated Loki slipping in some context to the flirting-by-way-of-random-metaphors that he had going on with Garotte, he was itching for something else to do. Standing like a statue as Loki and Garotte exchanged bon mots and heavy-handed innuendos was far from a fun time.

His break came when Loki excused himself to 'go powder his nose'.

"He's sure laying it on thick," Steve grunted to Loki while they headed to a nearby bathroom on the second floor.

"At least he doesn't have a melting stick," Loki countered as he turned left. He made a dismissive gesture. "So many of these criminals think of themselves a 'big time'. Ha, they wouldn't last one second in Sakaar or Jotunheim."

"Where are we going?" Steve glanced over his shoulder once they walked past an area that had been cordoned off. His left arm ached with the phantom weight of his shield.

"There's no reason why a loser like Garrote should've meddled with magicks. And yet he did. Call me curious because he keeps dropping hints at a 'treasure' as a prize for sleeping with him." Loki shuddered.

"Is _that_ what he's been saying while making cow eyes at you?"

"Some people are tediously predictable." Loki walked past a door, then backed up, bumping into Steve. "Apologies."

"Allow me," Steve said when they'd come apart. He put his ear against the door, the room sounded empty. He gripped the handle and turned it until the lock broke. Somewhere from around the corner, Garrote's voice echoed. "He's coming!"

"Quick, go inside and just, you know, be ready." Loki pushed Steve inside and then closed the door. Steve strained his hearing, the thick oak dulling the conversation on the other side.

"Veronika,...hiding...me?"

"I...private...go inside?"

"...want...bad wolf?"

The door swung open. "Of course," Loki said. Not for the first time in Steve's life he was thankful of his quick reflexes when he moved away from his hiding spot with barely a second to spare.

Loki walked in first, startling when Garotte smacked a buttcheek.

<"You're kind of getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?"> Loki plastered a fake smile on his face when he turned around.

Whatever Garotte said was enough to stop Loki. His eyes widened and that was enough to get Steve moving.

"Hey," he said, trying his hardest to tamp down the outrage at seeing Garotte behaving that way. The punch he gave him was deeply satisfying.

"I was handling it," Loki said, somewhat exasperated. "Now you're going to have to help me move him over to his desk."

Steve set his glasses to scan, moving his head from one side of the study to the other. "Something's over there," he pointed at a painting of some duke or another. The keypad behind the painting had symbols instead of numbers. He stared back at Loki. "I don't even know where to start with this."

"Hold on," Loki said, then licked his lips before placing his outstretched right hand on Garrote's forehead.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" A small line appeared in between Loki's eyebrows. "I'm helping! Okay, press star, circle, star, star, triangle, and circle again. That should do it."

A faint bell rang when Steve finished the keypad sequence. There was a sim card inside a plastic bag floating in dark red liquid.

"Stop! Don't touch it," Loki got to Steve's side as fast as lighting. "Whatever's protecting that item," he said, making a circle with his index finger, "is the source of the magic. Last time I checked, Captain, your magical aptitude is at negative eternity."

"Okay," Steve said. "Grab it and then we can go."

Loki pursed his mouth as he dipped his right hand into the viscous liquid. "Oh, that's a nasty one." He pulled out his hand which, to Steve's surprise, was turning blue.

Steve cocked his head. "There might be an alarm going off somewhere. I can hear several people heading over here." He straightened and scanned for an easy exit.

"One way in and one way out, Captain."

"Looks like we're gonna have to punch our way out then. You ready?" Steve turned around to find Loki's gaze focused on something far away. "What? You found a better escape route?"

"As a matter of fact I did," Loki said as he walked up to Steve. "Trust me?"

That was such a loaded question. What other choice did they have of making it out this place alive? "I...do?"

"Ugh, Captain, come on and meet me halfway. I can help us escape. There's no time to explain the mechanics of it. I just need you to close your eyes and _trust_ that I'll get us somewhere else safe, deal?"

Something in Loki's voice prompted Steve to give him a silent nod.

"Good," Loki grabbed Steve by his jacket's lapel. "Try not to vomit on my person, please."

He didn't even had a chance to ask Loki for an explanation before the world expanded to such a degree he could feel every atom in his body try their hardest to remain together. He let go of his fear, choosing instead to focus on Loki, the sharpness of his features, and the way his eyes glowed intensely blue.

 _Like an iceberg,_ Steve thought as the world contracted back into normal. The champagne from earlier rose in his throat. Off the corner of his eye he noticed that Loki's right hand was still closed around the sim card.

"First time teleporting on purpose?" Loki said from somewhere above.

"Uh huh," was all Steve could say while doing his best to not puke all over the place. With great effort, he rose from his half-crouched position. The air was heavy with an oil and rubber scent. "Where are we?"

"In the back of the garage," Loki said. "Seeing how I'm busy containing this," he raised his right hand (still blue), "I could only take us this far. Kept thinking of vehicles. Not for the first time do I wish Midgardians would use spaceships like the rest of the realms."

Seeing the beginning of a "Midgard is soooo primitive" rant, Steve opted to stalk his way to the front. "Time to find a getaway car."

* * *

The earpiece Steve was wearing came back to life once they left the compound. _Repeat. Cap, please confirm. Repeat. Cap--_

"Base?" Steve clicked his earpiece, keeping an eye on the road and both hands on the steering wheel. "This is BlueGreen Leader. We're enroute to the rendezvous."

"BlueGreen leader, glad to hear you!" Maria said, a bit of her concern showing through. "We were 20 minutes from sending in the cavalry. What happened?"

"Magic was blocking the signals. We had some difficulties but made it out okay."

Loki turned toward Steve and, not quite looking at him, said. "Tell them to contact Strange and ask him to have his Infernium box ready."

Steve risked a glance at Loki, "An infer-what?"

"I-n-f-e-r-n-i-u-m box," Loki replied somewhat tiredly. "The sorcerer will know what it is. Remember that trusting thing I asked you about before I got our asses out of Garrote's place? Well, this is round two. Infernium box."

"Uh, Base? Can you call Dr. Strange and have him bring an Infernium box to the Tower?"

"What's that, BlueGreen leader?"

Steve repeated himself.

"And also have them prepare an ice bath in my bathroom. I'm gonna need to recharge," Loki said, slumping back on his seat.

* * *

A stern-faced agent piloted the quintjet back to New York. Three hours instead of the usual nine.

"So, what's this Inferno box thing?" Steve asked when his curiosity got the better of him.

"It's Infernium, Captain, and I know you remember that word just fine," Loki said, staring semi-vacantly to the wall in front of him.

"You know what I mean," Steve replied.

"At a certain point while studying magic, apprentices get tasked with creating an Infernium box. Only one box is required but the most skilled tend to have a few scattered around. They come in handy." Loki gave a half shrug.

"What do you do with them?"

"Store things inside, of course." Loki explained amusedly.

"You have one," Steve said. He stared at Loki. "Why not use it?"

"I have-- _had_ \--two: one became stardust when Surtur decimated Asgard. And, yes, I do have the other one with me. Right now, as a matter of fact."

"And you don't want to share?" Steve's frown deepened. 

"I can't open it," Loki said all too casual. "It's got a timelock that won't open for another," he scrunched up his face, "85 or so years. Not even my death would open it before then."

"Why not?"

Loki exhaled. His eyes flickered over to Steve then his hand. "Because it's going to take that long for what's inside to die or, at the very least, weaken enough for me to kill it. One finds so many interesting things in the Void."

The slightly creepy smirk Loki gave him then was enough to make Steve not continue the conversation. He closed his eyes and tried to take a nap.

* * *

"You do realize this is a temporary measure, right?" Strange warned. His cape fluttered as if punctuating Strange's words.

"This thing is protected by a very wicked spell. I'm almost sure I'd be impervious to whatever it is. However, it's doubtful you mere mortals would fare better." Loki punctuated his words by flashing a grin at the team.

"All right," Strange said, then did one of his swirly hand gestures until an ornate metal box appeared. "There you go."

Loki dropped the flash drive inside, flicking his hand when some of the red goop cling to it. Steve noticed Loki had regained a little bit of color.

Strange peered inside the box. "I think I recognize some of the incantations used to weave the spell." He closed the lid and created a portal. "Wong and I will work on this."

"You do that," Loki said as he was heading out of the room. "Captain?"

* * *

How long could Loki spend floating in icy water?, Steve wondered. Nearly an hour and a half had passed since they returned to their rooms. Loki waving off the offer of a snack.

Steve had taken a shower, changed into a slightly ratty sweater and sweatpants, prepared and drunk two smoothies. He was now sitting on the living room sofa, not quite looking at whatever was playing on the giant TV. Every so often, his eyes would wander in the direction to Loki's bedroom. 

His mind cast back to the moment when Loki had pulled him close before teleporting the two of them away from La Garrote's. A minor flare of _want_ echoed in him then, and, although alone, he ran his hand over his face. It was true that Loki was an attractive man: taller than him and wiry but strong. His heartbeat increased a little as his mind replayed the tug from Loki and all the shared meals.

Now that he was aware, he couldn't stop thinking about everything. He didn't want to stop remembering.

Loki had flirted with him a few times. Never overtly, just enough to drop a soupcon of playfulness that left Steve charmed in an unexpected way.

By the time Loki stepped into the living room, Steve was smack in the middle of some heavy navel-gazing.

"Don't wait for me to have a meal," Loki said all too softly. "Containing the spell had tired me far more than expected. I'll turn in now and have a light repast when I wake up."

Steve stood up. He allowed himself to stare at the image of Loki in his tunic and cotton pants: his wet hair was plastered to his head and there were dark circles under his eyes. He was barefoot; noticing that made Steve's heart do a funny kind of twist. "Um...I?"

"Yes, Captain?" Loki raised an eyebrow, then the other.

"Can you trust _me_?" Steve asked after making his way to Loki.

A series of emotions flashed in Loki's eyes. He straightened up to his full height, momentarily giving Steve a hard look before softening it. "Your sense of timing needs some tweaking," he said, a corner of his mouth turning up.

"Yeah." Steve moved his right hand and placed it very slowly on the side of Loki's face.  
He stared into Loki's eyes, hoping like hell his gut wasn't wrong, "someone should do something about that." 

His hand slid down, until he was cupping the back of Loki's head.

It didn't take much to press his mouth against Loki's. As kisses went, the sweetness was his final undoing. Loki opened his mouth, prompting Steve to do the same. He couldn't tell how long they made out. The hand on his chest, pushing him away, made him frown.

"Don't get pouty-faced, my Captain," Loki said, blinking slowly. "I'm only too tired to reciprocate the way I'd like to."

Steve tried to focus despite the fog of lust currently surrounding his mind. "Huh?" he said in the most eloquent way he could.

"Likewise," Loki replied, then took him by the hand and lead him into his bedroom. "Come on, we can resume this after we've both taken a nap."

* * *

It was unlikely that the bond had prepared Steve for sharing a bed with Loki and yet here they were. He mmmed at the gentle touch ghosting across his collarbone.

"Ah, welcome back, Captain," Loki said, sitting on top of Steve, eyes roaming all over Steve like an apex predator ready to devour its prey. The pleasant weight on him and slowly becoming aware that Loki would feel his half-hard cock was enough to shake Steve awake.

"Steve."

Loki made a moue. "I suppose a lessening of the formalities makes sense," he said with false pomposity.

"Steve," he repeated and followed that with a slow lick of his lips.

"'Captain' is more gallant, if you ask me" Loki moved his hands under Steve's sweater. "But I live to serve. Mmmm, you're so warm."

"And you're a liar," Steve drawled. Loki's hands felt cool against his bare skin. 

"Brat," Loki murmured. And then his blunt nails slid to Steve's abs, leaving small yet tingly trails on the skin. 

Steve thrust his hips up in response. "Could say the same," he hissed when Loki's hands began pulling and rolling on Steve's nipples. He gripped the bedsheet, not really caring about possibly tearing it. The only thing that mattered was Loki's hands on him, petting and waking up every single cell in his body. He couldn't hide from Loki. Every brush of Loki's fingers would peel another layer of his desire. 

"You love it," Loki purred.

Steve took in the sight of Loki, at once terrible and beautiful, his mouth half-parted and cheeks flushed. He closed his eyes when Loki bent down at long last and left a trail of kisses all over Steve.

* * *

Steve woke up several hours after his romp with Loki. The bedsheet felt great against his body, Loki's skin against his felt even better. 

When it came to sex, Loki's enthusiasm and near-invulnerability were two boons that Steve couldn't help but appreciate. He rolled over, biting back a laugh at the reality of Loki snoring softly. Taking advantage of the quiet moment, Steve studied the way Loki's dark hair spread on the pillow and how his features were so relaxed. A spark of half-shame, half-desire lit up within Steve when he saw the mild scratches on Loki's shoulder. 

"You do realize this veers into creepy behavior," Loki said, eyes still closed.

"More like admiring the view," Steve said, giving into the urge to caress Loki's shoulder. His body, Steve noted, was cool to the touch.

"You think of me as a pet, then?" Loki slid closer until he was snug against Steve. 

"No," Steve frowned, "because that would imply you're something to be tamed and that's a little disturbing."

Loki shifted then until he was, just like the previous night, sitting on top of him. "I meant seducing me in order to make me more pliant. I'm flattered," he said as he pressed his right index finger in between Steve's brows. "Stop that or you'll get wrinkles."

"I didn't--that is--I would never--"

"Finish your thought, my Captain, or else we'll never get out of this bed," Loki said in a stage whisper. "Perhaps I was hasty? Should I court you instead?"

A faint gasp escaped Steve's mouth. Loki had begun to thrust upwards, his cock rubbing against Steve's in a wicked manner. "Gonna write--write sonnets to the color of my eyes?" he hissed after his precome made the up and down slide so much better.

"If I were to, um, write about you, my captain," Loki said, finally (finally!) holding both of their cocks with one hand, "I'd mention your stamina before anything else."

It was a long time before they left Loki's bedroom.

* * *

"I was serious, you know," Loki said, picking up a couple of cheese danishes from the plate.

"About?" Steve glanced over his shoulder, then back to the stove. He had a lot of pancakes to flip. He and Loki had spent almost a full day in bed. Hooray for three days off in a row. 

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Courting you."

Steve added the freshly made pancakes to the already large stack. He put the remaining pancake batter in the refrigerator. "Thought the courtin' happened before you know," he said, blushing slightly, as he placed the plate on the kitchen table. "Dig in."

"Prudishness does not suit you, Steve," Loki said, then poured a full third of the maple syrup bottle onto his pancakes. "It doesn't matter if it's before or after a romp, I'm solely thinking that we should live a little."

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

"Wanda mentioned a nice restaurant within walking distance from here," Loki replied. "We are off-duty for the next day and a half..."

A date with Loki. Steve clanked his cup of coffee against Loki's. "Can't wait."

* * *

"So let me see if I got this right: you, Steven Grant Rogers, are going out on a date?" Natasha sounded way too amused for Steve's liking.

"Yes," he answered while looking through his closet for what felt like the hundredth time. Why had he called her?

"And you thought _I_ could help you--"

"Nat, please. Just, you know, give me some pointers," he picked up a dark gray sweater that he liked, but it was too thick for the weather.

"I will help you, Rogers, but first we gotta switch to video. I'm all by my lonesome while my thigh heals up," Natasha said with the kind of glee that she'd only shown while covertly zip lining into a Hydra lab.

"Fine," Steve said, sighing with reluctance. "Hold on."

* * *

Loki's appreciative "well" once Steve met him in the living room an hour and a half later made up for video-chatting with Natasha.

Feeling quite like a wolf from one of those cartoons from his childhood, Steve swallowed back his tongue after checking Loki out in an all-black suit that looked tailored to a T. "Likewise," he said, his voice deeper than he'd intended. He kissed the smirk off Loki, then took a step back and offered his left arm. "Shall we?"

The fact that a mild blush appeared on Loki's face was something that pleased Steve in an unexpected way.

* * *

"Good evening," the waitress said as she handed them a couple of menus. "Anything to drink?"

"Yes," Loki said, tilting his head. Next time he spoke, his voice had acquired that weird modulation like he when shapeshifted. "We'll both have waters for now."

The waitress looked surprised before answering in a language Steve didn't know. She glanced at Steve then replied in English. "I'll be right back."

Steve was still looking through the menu. There were so many choices! He heard the waitress return and Loki reply <"Thank you"> in that walkie-talkie tone. The waitress said something.

<"Oh, don't worry about him. Whatever you put in front of him, he'll chow down,"> Loki claimed. 

The waitress made a comment sotto voce. 

<"Yes, it's just like a husband,"> Loki said and then they both laughed.

"That's not nice," Steve hissed.

"Oh, calm down," Loki said, "Speaking to people in their language is a fun way to keep things from going sideways."

"So you really understand what she was saying?"

"Yes," Loki replied. "Most planets have All Speak. It's a shame that Midgard's yet to get with the times."

Dinner had gone well and what followed later on Steve's bed after was the perfect desert. Loki, it seemed, was determined to find the limits to Steve's endurance. Not that Steve minded much.

* * *

"What's with the frowny face?" Wanda dodged the shield with ease during training two days later, gently lifting it and zooming it across the practice room.

"Just got a lot on my mind," Steve hedged. He shifted his weight as if he was going to throw the shield, choosing instead to do a barrel roll at Wanda.

"Nice," Wanda said, attempting to sidestep him and falling when Steve swept a leg at the last possible second. "Ooof!"

"This is why we don't chit-chat in the middle of the fights." Steve stopped in a crouch. "Think you can lift me up and get me to the other end of the room?"

Wanda looked at the distance. She smirked. "I can try. Loki had me do something like this the other day."

"Oh, yeah?" Steve tried to keep from fighting when Wanda got him airborne. That was never gonna stop being freaky. "Consider this a nice refresher, then."

"You're a couple of dorks, really," Wanda said, her eyes glowing red as she let Steve hover a foot off the floor before dropping him.

"Who's a couple of dorks?" Steve grunted.

"You and Loki." Wanda wiped her forehead. "But I'm not going to talk about boys with you."

Steve made a face. "How about a break?"

"You're getting tired already?" Wanda said, playfully.

"What can I say? I'm an old man."

* * *

"Mr. Loki, there's a message for you in your room," Jarvis announced when Steve and Loki returned to the apartment.

"Really? But I am not expecting..." Loki looked out the window, not quite concentrating on any one specific point. " _Oh._ "

"What?"

"With one thing and then, ahem, other things," Loki said, giving Steve a sideways glance,"I'd forgotten all about it. That's very much unlike me, hmmm."

"For god's sake, Loki, what are you talking about?" Steve followed him into his bedroom.

"It's about this." Loki picked up a sheet with what looked like lines of runes on it. "Matthildur's reminding me that the Hearth Moon ceremony is happening soon. We have to journey to," he squinted at the paper, "Norway so I can give New Asgard the royal blessing."

Steve twisted his mouth. "Gotta run this by Maria and the rest of the team." Loki scowled but Steve was not going to give in. "We can't just up and disappear."

Loki opened his mouth.

"No, we really can't," Steve interrupted whatever Loki was about to say. "Sometimes you have to do things by the book. It's just how it is."

The kind of put upon face Loki gave him was fairly epic. "I suppose we must."

* * *

"Thor had mentioned something before he departed," Maria said in her office the next morning. "For obvious reasons, the entire team can't escort you and Loki to New Asgard. After," she glanced at Loki then back to Steve, "recent events, Bruce has become our main liaison with New Asgard."

One of these days, Steve mused, he was going to ask Bruce to tell him what happened in space.

After some more back and forth, Sam showed up dressed casually. He pushed his sunglasses up. "Morning, Hill. Got your message. Hey, Steve and Loki," he nodded.

Maria crossed her hands in front of her and gave Sam a brief smile. "Sam, glad to see you. Tell me, have you ever been to Norway?"

* * *

Sam's excitement at joining Bruce, Steve, and Loki was contagious. The mild temperatures meant Steve didn't have to pack much aside for his 'in case of emergency' uniform and an extra set of everyday clothes.

Loki didn't even bother to bring a toiletry kit with him aboard the quinjet. 

"The only thing I don't have with me that I'm going to need is the All-Father's cloak. That's in the witches' care," he said with a shrug. He wore the same blue leather uniform he'd worn during the bonding ceremony (including the almost-black cape with the shocking golden yellow lining.) By the time he stepped off the quinjet, however, his golden horns re-appeared. The way he held himself reminded Steve of the Loki he'd met seven years ago. One main difference is that Loki's initial arrogance was obliterated by Loki's genuine happiness at meeting other Asgardians.

Steve chose to hang back with Sam. Other than the two of them and Bruce, there weren't any Earth people around. On the way over to New Asgard, Loki had explained that there was some cloaking system set in place to keep the media and any looky loos away.

"I don't know if you know this, Steve, but your boyfriend is an actual prince," Sam said from behind his hand.

"Not my boyf--" Steve rolled his eyes and tried to talk without moving his lips. "You know what I mean."

Sam's soft laugh annoyed him even more.

"Welcome, Your Majesty." Matthildur said from her place at the head of the group.

"Sorceress," Loki replied with an almost imperceptive nod. "We trust everything's ready for tonight?"

"It is, Your Majesty," Matthildur smiled. Then she and a young woman inclined their heads. "There's a purifying bath ready for you and your consort."

Loki cleared his throat. "My bonded hasn't been initiated in the magical arts. Must he partake of the purifying bath?"

Matthildur and the young woman conferred. "It's not necessary, Your Majesty. Could it be possible that neither of you ingest or imbibe anything until after the consecration, though?"

"That pleases us," Loki offering a friendly smile.

"I will cleanse the circle while you get ready, Your Majesty. Helga will show you to the bath," Matthildur said before bowing and then leaving.

"Catch you later," Steve said over his shoulder, waving at Sam and Bruce.

* * *

"Will there be anything else?" Helga said, her face flushed with the exertion from climbing to the top of a steep hill. The cabin she had led Steve and Loki to was nice. The bathroom had a golden bathtub that was borderline gaudy. A lavender and mint scent filled the room.

"No, Helga," Loki said. He began to take off his cape. "You may leave us."

"Thank you," Steve added when it was clear that Loki wasn't going to say anything else.

Helga curtsied and left them alone.

Steve rolled his shoulders, eyes on Loki while methodically taking off his dark metal vambraces. A bath would be nice; the bed sounded nicer.

"I'd invite you to take a bath with me," Loki said as he shrugged out of his jacket and undershirt with ease. "But I think that would defeat the purpose of 'purifying' me, don't you think?"

"Huh?" Steve rubbed the back of his head, warmth spreading from his face to his chest at being caught staring at Loki's naked torso.

"My Captain, you _are_ an insatiable being," Loki purred, walking up to Steve and holding him, kissing passionately for an all-too-brief moment. "A promise," Loki said when he stepped away, sitting down on a stool next to the bathtub, and started to undo his boots.

"I'll, ahem, I'll take a nap then," Steve said, not even bothering to sort out how he was feeling at being overtaken by Loki in such a dramatic way.

* * *

"Awaken, Captain."

Loki's gentle kiss on his forehead more than his words was what got Steve to open his eyes. He stretched his arms, marveling at how rested he felt. "Is it time?"

"Soon," Loki said.

Steve didn't miss the slight wariness in his voice. He stopped rubbing his eyes and lifted himself up, resting on his arms, as he studied Loki's new battledress. Its similarity to the green and gold look Loki had sported back in 2012 wasn't missed on Steve.

"I wore it last when I ascended the throne. Matthildur sent word I should wear it tonight," Loki said. He squinted at Steve.

"It's a lot of gold," Steve said, then snorted since that wasn't exactly what he'd been angling to say. It wasn't untrue, however. Loki looked as if he'd been headfirst dipped in gold until his waist.

"Flatterer." Loki picked up a green cape off a chaise, folded it with care, and made it disappear into the ether. "My mother and her maidens had sewn that cape," he said like it was no big deal.

"Well," Steve sat up and then took both of Loki's hands, "other than my eyes, the only thing of my mother's I have is my stubbornness so, you know."

"Your pep talks are on par with Thor's," Loki sniffed. "Time to get pretty, Captain. The midnight hour approaches and we still have to climb down that hill."

* * *

Steve had chosen another navy suit and white shirt in lieu of his Captain America uniform. He jerked his head at Bruce and Sam (both wearing black suits) when he and Loki showed up. The rest of the people wore what to Steve seemed like their best clothes. A lot of it reminded him of the Greco-Roman stuff he'd seen in history books.

This was the first time Steve had seen the Midnight Sun that he'd heard about. His Starkphone had said it was about 15 minutes to midnight and yet weak, late afternoon sunlight hit his face. Loki squeezed his hand and then let him go, walking to a clearing where Matthildur and Helga stood next to an altar of sorts.

"How are you holding up?" Sam whispered in Steve's ear.

Steve turned his head to the side. "It's a lot. I'm okay."

"Thanks for inviting me," Sam bumped his shoulder against Steve's.

"Maria's the one who volunteered you," Steve said, his attention drifting to a bundle that Matthildur had summoned from nothingness. Loki's eyes widened for a second, then he kneeled with his back to Matthildur as she attached a dark red cloak with a large, light brown fur collar to his shoulders. Once she was done, she gestured to Loki to rise. She started talking in what Steve could only discern as Asgardian. Every so often there would be a word here or there he understood yet none of it was enough to get the full concept of her speech.

Helga conjured a bowl filled with fire that she then passed to Matthildur.

Loki exhaled and then placed his hands on the fire and did a kind of twirl motion. When Steve looked again, a large golden dagger was in between his hands.

Matthildur began another sermon that ended with Loki kneeling in front of the altar. She asked him something.

<"I am Loki Odinson, true heir of the All-Father,"> he answered her solemnly.

Matthildur smiled and continued to ask him a series of things.

<"I swear to shield Ydraggsil until the end of days and beyond. May its roots grow stronger here and elsewhere. This oath I make to the Norns and seal it with my lifeforce."> Loki sliced the palm of his right hand, hissing for a moment, and then placed his hand on the ground. A flash of green-gold energy spread through the entire area before fading away.

The happy clapping that followed woke Steve up from the trance-like state he'd fallen into.

* * *

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Loki said when he sidled up to Steve. Even while wearing his helmet, a lot of the otherworldliness Steve had seen in Loki during the ceremony had faded away.

"Quite," Steve said, momentarily distracted by what looked like a rock monster wearing some kind of Hawaiian shirt waving in their direction.

"Hello, Loki! That was a great ceremony," the rock monster said in a surprisingly friendly tone. "Oh, how are you? I'm Korg, former gladiator. Currently, I'm an honorary Asgardian helping in setting up wi-fi in New Asgard."

"Korg," Loki said with a big grin. "This is Steve, my, ahem, bonded?"

Korg threw his arms up and a few pebbles rolled to the floor, "I had heard something about this, Loki. I'm honored to meet Loki's bonded." He looked at Loki. "Does he speak or is he one from a telepathic species? I can never tell."

"I-I do speak," Steve said at last. "Sorry, Loki and I haven't eaten because of the ceremony and then--"

"Oh, well, mate, you have to check out the feast," Korg pointed somewhere behind the freshly lit bonfire. "There's a large spread of sweets and canapes. I was telling my friend Miek, the little fella next to Bruce, yeah, the one with knives for hands, that he has to make a few of his special drinks later. As soon as you have one, you'll be feeling great for a couple of days."

"Oh, Miek is here?" Loki grinned. His expression was so exaggeratedly gleeful it left Steve confused. "Let's go over there, Korg, and say hi."

"Sure, sure," Korg said easily.

Loki's gaze darted between Korg and Steve, minutely shaking his head at Steve before following Korg to talk to another space friend.

"So the rumors are true, huh?"

Steve didn't bother to hide his shock at seeing Nick Fury standing next to him. "How long have you been here?"

"Since yesterday," Fury replied calmly. "I'm just passing through. Heading over to Venice in a few hours. There's someone I need to have sit down talk with."

"Wait, which rumors?" Steve fought the urge to unclench his jaw.

"Romanoff said you'd been compromised by a demigod," Fury said, his one eye staring at Steve as he was searching for a rebuttal.

"It wasn't planned," Steve said after what felt like an eternity.

"You know, this might be a good thing for both of you," Fury quirked an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"Oh, just a feeling," Fury replied. "Mr. Odinson."

"Director Fury," Loki said, standing so tall he looked down at both Steve and Fury, "you grace us with your presence."

"Well, you know," Fury cautioned. "It's like that saying goes 'keep your friends close--'"

"And so on," Loki finished.

"Touche." Fury squinted at them. "Gentlemen."

Steve watched Fury walk away. Maybe later he'd try to figure out what Fury and Loki had been telling each other in between words.

"Your friends are really delightful," Loki said, his eyes never leaving Fury until he blended into the crowds.

"Both of you like goading the other way too much," Steve said.

"Keeps me young." The look Loki gave him next gave Steve a not-so-small thrill. "Now, how about you and I get some snacks and adjourn to the royal palace?"

* * *

Even all the walking up an almost-mountain hadn't lessened their desire. They had come close to ripping each other's clothes off in between frenzied kisses and desperate moans. That they made it to the large bed was a relief. 

Steve's heart pounded as he stared at Loki oiling his cock. He opened his legs, feeling wanton in the best way possible, and tried his best to enjoy the sensation of Loki's fingers smearing the excess oil all over Steve's entrance. A quiet gasp escaped his lips when, at long last, Loki sank himself inside of him.

* * *

Steve woke up to an empty bed. Momentarily disoriented, he yawned, then turned around and found Loki standing by a window. As much as he wanted to jump out of bed, the pleasant soreness all over his body only allowed him to stand up with less grace than expected. "Contemplating your kingdom?"

"Hmm?" Loki kissed Steve, then returned his gaze to the world outside. "Something like that, yes."

While it was true that Loki was skilled at hiding his true thoughts and feelings, none of that amounted to much when compared to Steve's gut instinct. "You're trying to figure out how to steal Thor's crown, aren't you?"

Loki had the grace to pretend to look ashamed. "No." He paused. "Yes. I don't know."

Steve could meet Loki halfway. "Remind me to lend you my copies of _Macbeth_ and _Richard III_."

"I don't follow," Loki pouted.

"In plainer terms," Steve exhaled. "What are the chances of you and I ending up here, together? You could have died a million times. I could've, you know, died--"

"You mean to say," Loki scolded, "that I'm to ignore something so near my grasp based on _sentimentality_?"

The look Loki gave him was part feral and part hopeful. Steve understood some of what was underneath Loki's wariness. He recognized it as echoes from the Void. Loki was _daring_ him to show him what hope looked like. He took the leap. "Basically? Yes, trust what you feel here," he said, placing a hand on Loki's chest, "and us. Besides--"

"If you're about to say something as incredibly ridiculous as "you can be the king of my heart, Loki', I'll--"

"You'll what?" Steve stood to his full height. He'd faced many things in a hundred years. Waiting for Loki to make up his mind was somewhere in between fighting pneumonia when he was ten years old and fighting the STRIKE team in a tiny elevator.

"Nothing comes to mind," Loki whispered. His shoulders relaxed. He grabbed Steve by the chin and eyes sparkling with tenderness said, "For now, how about a kiss?"

"Lucky for you, I'm kind of an old fashioned guy," Steve countered, then kissed Loki's pout away.

THE END.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Bennettmp339 and BelovedMuerto for betaing. Their input kept me going at key points while writing this fic.


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